


Shadow and Shine

by LyricalRiot



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, I Always Reply To Comments, Nostalgia, Original Character(s), POV Ben Solo, POV Rey (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Reylo - Freeform, Steam Ahead, longfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-24 10:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15628548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyricalRiot/pseuds/LyricalRiot
Summary: After the thorough defeat of the First Order, the Resistance is busy forming a new government, and two powerful Force users, Ben Solo and Rey, are in search of their destiny now that the war is over. Their new feelings for each other are strong, and they know they want to stick together, but learning what exactly that means is undiscovered country. Vague plans and a bit of planet hopping are all they have in their future for now, but it won't take them long to find the Force has other plans in store. Visits to old homes, nights of glamor and artifice, and exploring the secret deep places of the galaxy ahead. Steamy, but not graphic.This is my sequel fic to DFN;DFL. You'll enjoy this one more if you read that first.





	1. Chapter 1

**SHADOW & SHINE**

* * *

 

Chapter One: Dust to Dust

_"We shall not cease from exploration_

_And the end of all our exploring_

_Will be to arrive where we started_

_And know the place for the first time."_

― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

* * *

**Rey**

* * *

For as far back as she could remember, an unseen power had been guiding Rey's life. It hummed softly in the space between heartbeats, so constant she hadn't recognized its subtle vibrations until crisis had called it into full manifestation. Before that, it quietly shaped her days. It made her sharp, perceptive, careful. It hinted at things to do, and things to avoid.

And now, she saw, it had helped her stay alive in a world meant to kill her.

Jakku hadn't changed at all in her year and a half away from it. But then, it hadn't changed in her nearly twenty years on it either. Change did not exist under the bright, unrelenting sun. The sand shifted around some in the season of scalding windstorms, but everything else sat perfectly preserved by the arid heat. Unable to grow, unable to decay.

At the bottom of the  _Millennium Falcon_ 's loading ramp, Rey stopped, swallowing hard and reeling from a sudden blow of emotion that struck her chest. It had been her idea to come here, and she believed she'd be fine returning to the world that had imprisoned her for so long. But she hadn't anticipated the assault of sounds and smells on her senses, exactly as she'd remembered, dredging up memories and emotions long buried. The sights, however, were not quite unchanged. Upon closer inspection, she saw that things  _were_  different — at least a little. Some of the structures that stood before were now rubble, and some of the tents looked like they had been relocated.

Still, all in all, Niima Outpost had recovered rather well from the First Order attack. Life resumed its normal, rugged routine. But then, of course it had. The people here lived in a brutal refiner's fire, and they knew how to survive when logic wanted them dead.

The scene transported her back in time, to grueling, endless days and even longer nights trying to stave off the gnawing loneliness eating at her soul. So much sadness here. So much emptiness. So much waiting. Even now it clawed at her throat, squeezed her heart, made her shudder. It threatened to drag her back into that feeling of quiet, persistent despair that had accompanied her every day until BB-8 showed up.

Jakku wasn't home. Jakku was nothing. And she, as a child of its empty sands, was nothing.

A hand found the small of her back — a touch so light but so reassuring and perfectly suited to the act of comfort. She turned to find Ben Solo's long, beautiful face set along the edges with concern, two dark eyes observing more than just her surface reaction.

Rey drew in a long breath. "I'm alright," she assured him.

The words sank into the hot air, useless and unnecessary. Ben could feel everything happening inside her. He was there in her psyche, his own mind woven into hers through so many threads of mystical connection it was impossible to untangle them. What began as a strange, accidental bridge between two lonely souls had, over the last couple months, become a tightly knit, constantly humming bond. They so rarely tried to close themselves off to each other these days. They'd grown used to the steady transfer of emotions between them. Without the other, both felt split in half. Incomplete.

"Rey." The name fell from his lips in a gentle prompt.

She lifted her chin, forcing her mind to focus. She was here for a reason.

"Let's go," she told Ben, mustering her resolve. "Business seems to have resumed, so either Plutt made it off Takodana or a new junk boss has set up shop."

As they headed away from the Falcon, Ben's concern faded into the background of his thoughts, and she felt curiosity replace it. His gaze moved over the sights of Niima with mingled distaste and interest. She saw it through his perspective, and found the scene less impressive than remembered. The outpost was a dirty little scrap of canvas in the sand, a pit of black market wares and thin notions of prosperity. He was right, of course. Having seen other places in the galaxy now, Rey now understood how small and seedy her childhood village really was.

"What an unlikely place to spawn a champion of good and light," Ben observed, a wry note coloring his deep timbre.

She barely heard him. Her mind was busy taking in the sameness of everything. As they threaded their way through the modest bazaar, she saw a Teedo arguing with Lerux Talley, the tinkerer. A hapabore guzzled greedily from a large trough while his handlers traded lewd stories with Devi and Strunk. Even Crusher was there, dragging his net full of gear towards Plutt's concession stand. Bitterness and fond nostalgia fought for supremacy in the pit of her stomach.

Again came Ben's touch, grounding her back to reality.

"Rey, I thought you said you were alright."

She glanced at him. "I am — I just — it's very strange."

The Crittermonger approached them, the trusses on his back swaying with dead animals of slim variety. He squalled at them in broken Basic.

"Welcome, travelers! Long journey makes you hungry. I have what you need."

Rey caught herself reflexively glancing around for Plutt's thugs. Scavengers weren't supposed to talk to the Crittermonger. He was only allowed to sell to off-worlders. It took her a moment too long to realize — she  _was_  an off-worlder.

Ben waved him off with a curt, "No."

The strange creature with his strange wares shrugged and trundled off, searching for the next visitor to solicit. Rey watched him go, the sound of Ben's voice the only thing drawing her out of her distant thoughts.

"I take it by the look in your eye you never purchased anything from him?"

She shook her head. "Not allowed. I always wanted to, though. It seemed like such a luxury."

Ben did not attempt to disguise his clear revulsion. "Trust me, it isn't. Now that you're a verified spacer, Rey, you need to learn that there  _are_  limits to what food should be eaten. Meat hanging from a rack, baking in a desert sun all day, is not advisable, I don't care what planet you're on. And the first food offered to you at a space port is usually suspicious."

This coaxed a smile out of her, and she nodded. "Thanks for the tip."

"I know this goes against your every instinct, but try not to worry about food while we're here. We have everything we need on the ship."

It  _did_  contradict her instincts, running on overdrive now that she was back on this planet, surrounded by the same environment that had so long tried to crush her will. Still, Ben was right. She was comfortably situated now — no need to let this place get the best of her.

They continued on. As they went, Rey marveled. Stranger than the sameness of everything was that no one recognized her. Though there were a few unfamiliar faces, probably of new scavengers who had arrived after her departure, she still knew most everyone in Niima. Some of them had known  _her_  all her life. She'd commanded a strong reputation for a long time, yet now everyone looked right past her, as if she were just another traveler passing through.

"You look different now," Ben replied, answering these unspoken thoughts.

"Not that different."

He glanced at her briefly, as if to verify. "More than you realize."

She wore her hair down these days. Was that the major difference?

"You are clean. Your clothes are clean. You aren't swathed up in protective fabric like everyone else. You don't have your staff." Ben ticked off these observations coolly. "Shall I go on?"

Rey brushed a strand of hair back, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm still me," she tried to protest.

"More or less. Before you were like them, now you're not."

She frowned, turning to face him, planting herself in front of him so he was forced to stop walking. His mouth twitched in amusement. She ignored this and gave him a demanding look. "Explain that, Ben. What does that even mean? That I was poor and dirty and repulsive?"

Ben's chin lifted a little in that hint of defiance she'd come to recognize as a prelude to his unfiltered honesty. "These people. They're a lot like the girl I glimpsed on Takodana. Tough, tenacious, fierce. Determined to survive. Now you're still all those things, but also more. You have grown, and they haven't. More than tough, you're  _strong_. More than tenacious, you're full of purpose. More than fierce, you are powerful. You aren't the girl who left this place, and the Jedi before me is a stranger they cannot recognize."

She blinked, heat rising in her face which had nothing to do with the glare of the sun. It wasn't the kind of response she'd been expecting. But she also knew he wasn't just saying it to be nice. Ben didn't do that. Her gaze dropped to the sand, not sure how to respond.

He smirked and stepped around her, a slight touch on her arm drawing her with him. "Can we proceed?"

They continued on, Rey still searching for some kind of rebuttal or reply. She tried to meet the eye of someone - anyone, certain that if even one of them met her gaze, they'd recognize her and prove Ben wrong. Because of a part of her was certain he had to be wrong. For all the claims that she'd grown, for all the changes she had experienced over this last year, deep inside she still felt a lot like the girl waiting in the sand. Surely one of them would see that too.

A long line of scavengers stretched from the concession stand, and Rey heard a familiar grumbling voice. She'd know it anywhere. It was the one and only voice that had accompanied her from childhood to adulthood. A voice that meant salvation, a voice that meant subjugation. A voice she hated.

Unkar Plutt sat in his modified cargo crawler, as he had done for more than twenty years, and doled out survival rations in exchange for scavenger haul.

But something had changed. Rey noted his mechanical arm, replacing the one Chewie had torn off in Maz's castle.

Ben made a soft, derisive sound, reacting to the memory passing through her mind. "That would have been amusing to see."

"Had you arrived a few minutes earlier, you would have." She tried to keep her voice light as she referenced that awful day. Compared to the First Order attack and the specter of Kylo Ren, Unkar and his vicious threats had been the smallest of worries. He was easily dispatched by Chewie. The rest of the day's menaces were not.

Rey's stomach tightened at the sight of him, tense with disgust more than fear or hate. Ben sensed this.

"Did he mistreat you?" he asked.

She heard the warning in his deep voice, and barked a sardonic laugh. "Yes, but that's just the way he treats everyone. I was his favorite, until I stole the Falcon from him."

Rey had earned that favor through hard, thankless work and the understanding that the devil you know is better than the one you don't. Not that being Unkar's favorite had ever been a particularly coveted spot. He didn't go out of his way to demonstrate his preference. He cheated his favorites just as often as he cheated his enemies.

She eyed the line of scavengers waiting for their turn to sell their wares. On all of them hung an expression she recognized. Apathy. This was life, day after day, unchanging and unrelenting as the harsh sun. Some of them gabbed to each other about the latest gossip — inflated tales about the battle of Naboo . They exchanged conjecture about the new, no-doubt-more-valuable salvage that would be littering that green world. Some declared their intent to get off Jakku and go there, where they could get paid better.

And they all nodded in agreement because they all shared the same vague dream, but they all equally knew how impossible it would be. No one left Jakku except the extremely lucky. For most, there were no greener pastures. Just endless seas of sand.

Rey fought back a wave of pain.

Ben took her hand, drawing her glance up to him once more. In those warm, dark pools she saw her home.

"Shall we get this over with?" he prompted. "So we can get out of here?"

She swallowed and nodded, pulling him with her to the back of the line. It took a minute too long for her to let go of his hand — he didn't seem inclined to do it himself. It was strangely comforting to have his long fingers wrapped through hers, reminding her that she had an ally and partner. But Jakku wasn't a place for softness or sweetness, so a moment later she let him go, feeling too keenly that such demonstrations were entirely out of place here. She crossed her arms and moved forward as the line thinned.

Plutt did not spend a great deal of time trying to recognize her. His tiny eyes passed over Rey only briefly before focusing on the much more commanding presence of Ben.

"Not one of mine," he assessed. "What are you looking for, then?"

Ben's voice rang strong and authoritative. "Interceptor parts. Whatever you've got."

Plutt smirked. "An aficionado of the Empire, are we? Well, you're in luck. I do have what you want. Rare stuff, very valuable. It wont be cheap."

Rey was prepared for this. She knew he would take one look at their fine clothes and ratchet up his price as much as he thought he could get away with.

"Careful now," she warned. "We know the value of these parts, and we don't deal lightly with swindlers."

Now his attention  _did_  fix on her, gelatinous body startling at the sound of her voice. He squinted with unveiled suspicion. "The  _value_  is flexible. This is the only supplier of genuine Imperial Interceptor parts left in the galaxy, and supplies are limited."

"Show us what you have," Ben demanded, "and we will determine what is fair."

Plutt's gaze remained fixed on Rey, his scowl deepening in puzzlement. She tensed, braced for what she knew would come eventually. Unkar knew her face better than anyone. He would figure it out sooner or later.

"What's the matter?" she asked, unable to stop the taunt from surfacing. "Afraid conditions have changed?"

His puny eyes widened at this echo of words long ago spoken. Words that began his string of troubles. "It can't be..."

"I'm surprised you got out before they bombed the castle," Rey said mildly.

"It  _is_ you! How dare you show your face here, girl!"

Outwardly, she maintained a steady glare. Within, however, she flinched at the too-familiar epithet. It was the only thing he, and pretty much everyone else, had ever called her here.

"How's the arm?" she asked. Maybe it would have been better to let Ben handle these negotiations on his own. Unkar would have dealt him the parts he wanted, Ben would have deftly maneuvered the traps and haggling methods usually employed by the junk boss, and they could have been on their way. The second she decided to show her face here, she'd chosen to entangle them in trouble.

But beside her, Ben seemed more fascinated than annoyed. She detected that he was less interested in the parts than watching her confront the demons of her past. His curiosity piqued, he watched Unkar with studious intent.

"I'll get every man at my disposal to arrest you, thief, unless you've come to give me back my ship," the Crolute snarled, eyes flashing with a wicked, deadly gleam.

"It isn't yours," she said. "It belonged to Han Solo, and now it belongs to me."

Ben leaned forward, fixing Unkar with a narrow look. "We are here to conduct business, not quarrel over the ownership of the lady's freighter."

"That ship is  _mine_ ," Plutt said, his voice rising. "And she is no lady. She's trash, just like the idiots who sold her to me, just like the rest of this sorry lot."

Rey felt a ripple in the scavengers around her as they started to piece together the bits of information being expelled from the Blobfish. The tension mounted within her, a tight knot coiling and burning somewhere in her chest. She hated him. Hated his saggy, blobby face and his shrewd, cruel eyes. He who acted like he owned Jakku. Who lorded over everyone with his ability to decide who survived and who starved. He held the reins of every scavenger and merchant here. Of everyone.

"It isn't. I'm not," Rey growled. "And neither are these people."

Ben stirred beside her. His gaze swept out over the dusty denizens who had stopped to watch.

Plutt sneered. "You want those parts? You'll have to give back what you stole and pay twice what they're worth. Otherwise, no deal."

The Force around Ben flexed, shifting with power and wrapping around the Crolute's greedy mind. "You will give us what we need," he said coolly.

Unkar laughed, utterly unperturbed by the attempt, and fortunately just as unaware. "You'd be mad to believe that. Congratulations, girl, you found yourself a new master to keep you alive. But don't get cocky. It doesn't mean you're free. You'll always be the scavenger scum I raised in the sand. You'd be dead without me."

"And you'd be dead without me, wouldn't you?" Rey countered.

Beside her, Ben's psyche began to buzz with genuine anger. It filtered through her, hot and familiar, as only he and Leia could radiate. Something about this exchange had annoyed and offended him.

"You were generously rewarded for that," Plutt said, his already pink face and bulging neck reddening further. "I owe you nothing. But you owe me a ship, and an arm, and a droid."

Ben's hand lashed out, calling down the segmented hatch that crashed down from the top of the cargo crawler's window and cut Plutt off from view. He held it there with the Force, despite the banging and shouting from inside indicative of Plutt's efforts to raise it. Turning to Rey, he drew a deep breath to steady his anger.

"What are our other options?" he demanded. "We're not doing business with this bloated maggot."

Rey glanced at the hatch and knew Plutt's thugs would be on them in a moment. They were no match for the two powerful Force users, she knew, but still — the last thing she'd wanted to do here was bring more trouble to these already troubled people.

"Let's go," she muttered, ignoring the startled murmurs and glances thrown their way by a quickly retreating crowd.

Ben dropped his hand and followed her. She saw the dark, indulgent fantasies playing through his mind — various ways to kill Plutt that would satisfy them both. Usually this instinct for violence disturbed and alarmed her. Today it gave her a grim smile. Ben's murderous scenarios were amusing and gratifying.

"But we can't kill him," she sighed.

"I was able to see into his mind, Rey. It's no less than he deserves."

She nodded. "He is awful, but I've also seen the kind who could replace him. Trust me, it could be worse."

At the Falcon, two Teedos astride luggabeasts were poking and prodding the hull with great interest. Ben sent them flying back with a vague gesture and an unseen blast.

As if this were a routine occurrence that did not warrant an interruption of conversation, he turned his attention back to her. "Does that insight have something to do with why you bothered to save his life?"

"It's a long story," Rey deflected, in no mood to recount it. "It's too bad your mind trick didn't work on him."

"He's hardly weak-minded," Ben said, shrugging. "And I didn't try very hard. Revenge seems more satisfying than manipulation."

"Yes," Rey agreed. "It does."

Once inside the familiar freighter, Rey felt the tightness in her chest begin to ease a little. These surroundings were comforting. They reminded her that life was so much different now. And Ben, subtly attentive to her every ache, reminded her that she wasn't alone anymore.

"What do you want to do?" he asked. "Remember, I can always requisition a new craft, or new parts. We can leave here if you want."

Rey sat heavily in the pilot's seat, deliberating. She knew they could go, but she felt unsettled and dissatisfied. This homecoming — of sorts — had not been a good one. It made her feel worse about her memories of this place, and she struggled to embrace the triumph of her escape.

She wasn't ready to leave, but she didn't know how to go forward either.

Ben motioned for her to move over to the copilot seat. This unusual request caught her off guard, and she did so with only a vaguely curious glance in his direction.

Outside, Plutt's thugs headed towards them. Neither of them observed this with even a flicker of worry. Ben sank into his father's seat and fired up the engines. With a few deft flicks, he had them airborne. The thugs beat the air with their clubs and Rey could almost imagine their screams of rage as their prey lifted off. She smiled. Ben eased the controls and sent them gliding away from Niima, arcing high over an endless ocean of sand.

"Where did you live?" he asked, though he didn't need to. He could have found the information in her memories.

"The Goazon Badlands," she said, pointing. "That way. But it's been so long. Without me there defending my territory, it's probably been looted by scavengers and Teedos."

Ben's intentions felt pure, but Rey didn't know if she could stomach seeing her little refuge destroyed. She didn't want to go there. At least, not yet.

His presence within her mind tuned into this, and his purpose shifted, even if their trajectory didn't. The ship dipped low over rough, empty terrain, sweeping along paths Rey used to travel with her speeder. The last time she'd been in this ship on this planet, she'd not had time to contemplate anything except keeping away from those TIE Fighters on her tail. Now, Jakku looked strangely peaceful and almost,  _almost_ , pleasant from the glass refuge of the cockpit.

The Falcon seemed to sail effortlessly in Ben's hands, singing as she'd never done before.

"Ben," Rey breathed, heart skipping a beat at the undeniable change she felt in both man and ship.

He didn't glance her way, but his warmth wrapped around her in the Force, affectionate and deeply pleased. This first flight in his father's place made his ego stir with pride. The Falcon responded so beautifully to his lightest touch, as if she'd been awaiting his attention all this time.

A smile teased over his full lips and he glanced at Rey. "I can see why you like her."

She grinned. "More power than you expect, isn't it?"

He nodded, giving them a bit more juice so they skimmed along the planet at an exhilarating speed. "You know," he announced in a tone far too casual. It didn't sound like him. She gave him a sharp, suspicious look. "The only time I visited your world, it was night, the circumstances were unfortunate, and I left when I got what I needed. It didn't give me a chance to look around."

So simple, this reference to such a terrible massacre. Rey frowned and waited for him to reveal his point.

"I believe you wanted to undertake a study to find the most beautiful place in the galaxy, didn't you? So here we have our first candidate. Who better to give me a proper tour, and introduce me to the beauty of Jakku than a native?"

Rey almost laughed, though it would have been bitter and mirthless. "Beauty? Ben, this place is the armpit of the galaxy. And a tour doesn't solve our problem of the Interceptor parts. I'm afraid I brought us on a fool's errand."

"We could go in there and take whatever we want." Ben didn't sound concerned. He barely moved the controls and the Falcon soared, giving them both a fluttering thrill that echoed between them. "Forget the parts for a moment and show me your planet."

"It isn't mine," she said, setting her jaw in stubborn defiance. "I hate this place."

"Ah, Rey." Ben sighed. "Still deceiving yourself, I see."

"I'm not!"

He rolled them lazily through the sky, directionless and wandering, eating up miles and miles of sand. "Captain, our heading?"

"You're the captain here, Solo." Despite her obstinance, Rey experienced a ticklish bubble of amusement at Ben's mood. It reminded her, just a little, of the laid-back attitude she'd discovered in his father. Even if coming here was a mistake for her, it was having a strange effect on her companion.

He ignored this jibe and leveled them out again, nudging the nose towards a distant, flat horizon.

So she rolled her eyes, mostly for show, and pointed out the viewport. "Fine. Start over there. It's called the Graveyard, and I think you'll find it particularly interesting."


	2. Plundering the Past

 

* * *

**Ben Solo - One Day Before**

* * *

The First Order resources were stretched thin. Too many battles on too many fronts had scattered their forces and their commanders. The Resistance efforts had effectively sown chaos among a group bred for discipline.

Ben frowned, reading through the report. "This is the most recent information you have?"

Poe sat in a chair opposite him, propping his feet up on an unused holodeck. "It's from yesterday, how much more recent do you want?"

"This morning would have been preferable."

"I'll inform my slicers that their groundbreaking, unbelievably impressive work isn't quite good enough." Poe rolled his eyes. "Come on, Kylo, I don't think it's changed much in the last few hours. Did you get to the part about the rendezvous order?"

"Yes." He flicked his finger over the datapad to find the referenced alert. "Looks like some units have acknowledged and are preparing to move out."

"Yep." Here Poe's dark eyes flitted to him, brow furrowing. "So what exactly are you planning, once you get them all together?"

Ben set down the datapad and considered the other man. He didn't still harbor the hate that once boiled in him at the very sight of this cocksure replacement for his mother's affection — but they had a long way to go before he could claim to be friends. Right now he tolerated Poe, for the sake of his mother, and Rey, and the work they needed to undertake. He didn't need to dive into Poe's mind to know he felt the same way.

"That depends on your progress with the establishment of a new government."

Poe rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. "Yeah, that looks like it's going to be tough. Turns out a month is just enough time to bring out all the leaders of oppressed people who think they know the best answer. It's turning into a logistical nightmare and we've barely begun."

"Good luck with that." Ben allowed his disinterest to seep into the words. He didn't envy the daunting task Leia had set before Poe and the other Resistance leaders to organize a new system of government out of the ashes of this brief but costly war. He had a part in it, but thankfully not the part that required committee meetings and long hours trying to reason with a myriad of strong opinions.

The First Order was still out there, and without a strong hand to seize the reins, it would devolve into in-fighting and forming of factions while various commanders tried to salvage what was left of their empire. It had happened that way before, and Ben did not intend to let it happen again. He would exercise his authority over them and bring them all to heel.

Poe must have been thinking something similar, because he frowned. "We're putting a whole lot of trust in you, Kylo, by giving you back your army. It's maybe the most insane thing we've ever done."

Ben glanced at him. "I don't suppose you'd simply take my word for it if I told you I had no interest in seizing control of the galaxy anymore, would you?"

"Not as such, no," Poe said, breaking into a grin. "But Leia trusts you, and Rey trusts you, and you  _did_  help Finn, so...I guess I'll believe you."

It was the closest thing to joking around they'd ever managed with each other, and Ben thought it was plenty for one day. He stood and moved over to a window, letting his thoughts turn to the greater galactic situation. The First Order had resources the new government could use, but it also had a deeply ingrained dogma and mission that would not be easily cast aside. He had to proceed with caution, if he wanted to secure the loyalty of the leadership and prevent dissension. A healthy dose of fear would help keep them in line. Fortunately the rumors trickling through the ranks about Hux seemed to be that Kylo Ren had killed him in revenge. That alone should keep some doubters from planning a mutiny of their own.

"How soon will you go?" Poe asked, watching him.

Ben gazed out at the buzzing, bustling metropolis of Coruscant. He stood with his feet apart, hands coming together behind his back. "Not right away. I need to give them time to get there, and to feel the weight of their failure. Besides, Rey has something she wants to do first."

"Go back to a certain desert planet?" Poe asked, lifting a brow.

He gave a single, short nod, glancing back. "You've spoken to Finn."

"Yeah, he says you need parts for some ship. Why go there, though? You've got a vast armada and shipyards to spare, don't you?"

"I do." Ben could have a new  _Silencer_  if he wanted — could have any ship he could dream of with any passing whim. But the idea of fixing up his old one scratched some unrealized itch inside him. It was an illogical desire, though, and he knew it. So rather than admit to Poe that it had been years since he'd done any real mechanical work himself and was rather looking forward to it, he offered another explanation. "But Rey feels ready to go back and face her past, and I intend to be there when it happens."

The thought that passed through Poe's mind was a loud one, loud enough that Ben didn't need to be in his head to hear it. Poe thought of Tuanal, and thought that Ben ought to answer for the massacre he'd authorized there. Poe hoped that going back to Jakku would force Ben to confront the full weight of his crime.

This amused him, in a grim sort of way. As if he hadn't felt, even in the very moment he authorized it, the damnation of that decision. Still, Tuanal wasn't the chief thing on his mind when it came to Jakku. When he thought of that planet, he didn't think of the sacred village or its dead inhabitants. He thought of the man and woman he'd seen selling their tiny child for pennies.

"Are you going to take Rey with you to the rendezvous?"

"If she wants to come, I won't stop her."

The other man sighed. "So, that's a yes."

Just as they'd come to a reluctant peace with each other, the two men had also come to an unspoken understanding regarding Rey. Ben knew that Poe was trying hard to stifle unrequited feelings for her, and Poe knew that Ben had some kind of connection with her that he couldn't understand or rival. Once, these truths chafed and provoked both of them, but the fires had cooled a little now. Ben no longer cared, and Poe seemed to have resigned his campaign for Rey's interest. Still, Ben could feel pity for the man in his frustration, now that he saw a not-too-distant future wherein Poe had moved on.

Leia insisted that they were brothers, and Ben supposed that wouldn't be true if they hadn't overcome a period of rivalry. He assumed — though, to be honest, he didn't really know anything about brothers.

"What will you have Finn do, now that he's back in good working order?" He tried to direct Poe's attention elsewhere.

The pilot took the diversion and ran with it. "He's got a growing legion of defected troopers who want to follow him. We'll put that to use somehow. And we definitely need Rose. They'll be busy."

"Good." Ben nodded. "Idle, post-war retirement doesn't seem a likely position for either of them."

"For any of us," Poe agreed.

Someone knocked on the door and they both glanced at one another. Now that the Resistance had set up on the highly visible, highly populated, highly historical Coruscant, Ben had to be careful who saw him mingling with the new leaders of the galaxy. Few knew this meeting was even taking place, in fact. Not even Rey, who had been busy with Rose working on the Falcon when Poe pulled Ben aside for a quick update.

Poe ushered him away so that he was not immediately visible from the doorway, and then went to punch in the access code.

The door slid open and a protocol droid stepped forward, her mechanized female voice delivering a quick and apologetic report that General Dameron was wanted at the senate reformation panel in ten minutes. Poe waved her off, annoyed.

When she was gone, he turned back to Ben. "I guess that means this is over. But you're going to check in, even after the rendezvous, right? This will be a coordinated effort, not you doing your thing, and me doing mine, yeah?"

Ben smirked. "I believe we were instructed to work together, were we not?"

Relieved, Poe nodded and smiled widely. "Yeah, we were."

"Then I'll keep you apprised of our movements and plans. Get your talented slicers to work out a highly restricted comms channel or other means of classified communication."

"I will. Look, I hate to ask this again, but I didn't really get a great answer last time. What are you going to  _do_  with your army?"

"I won't know until I can consolidate these scattered resources," said Ben, motioning to the datapad report, "and see what we still have left to work with, and until I know what you're working out here. I don't think turning it all over as a military branch to a disorganized, unformed pseudo-government will make the galaxy feel safe. We'll proceed carefully and deliberately."

Poe nodded, rubbing his stubbled jaw, brow furrowed in thought. "I see what you mean."

Ben moved towards the door, but paused at the threshold and turned around, giving Poe one last appraising glance. "Have you decided to trust me?"

Poe shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I've decided to trust you too." Trust did not mean friendship, but it was a start. Ben adjusted to the fit of this new relationship as he would a pair of stiff new boots. It would get more comfortable with time. "We'll shepherd this new era in little by little, together."

This gave his companion a crooked grin and he nodded, extending his hand. Ben glanced at it, smothered the urge to ignore him, and instead clasped it in a brief shake of concord.

"Good luck on Jakku," Poe called after him as he headed down the hall.

Ben didn't turn. His thoughts had already moved on from the once-pilot-now-leader. He searched for that thread of connection inside him that tied him to Rey's light, and used it as a homing beacon to guide him to her location. They'd lingered here long enough. Finn and Rose were settled after their pleasant convalescent vacation, Rey had drunk her fill of the bizarre world filled with one enormous, chaotic city, and now Ben had properly laid the groundwork for the complex task ahead of him. Nothing remained. It was time to go.

When he found her, suspended against the side of the Falcon by a makeshift harness, hidden behind a protective visor and busy with a welding torch, Ben experienced a rush of profound pleasure. It washed away the careful, guarded attitude he employed around the rebels.

She must have felt his proximity, because she paused, clicked off the torch, and lifted her visor. Her gaze locked onto his immediately, as if she'd known exactly where to look for him.

"Hey, where'd you go?" she called down.

He toyed with a smile. "I had a meeting."

"A meeting?" She pulled one side of her harness and it lowered her quickly to the ground. "What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you later. We should go soon. Will she fly?" He motioned at the hulking, hideous freighter.

Rey grinned. "Of course she will. Ready to give her a spin?"

"No, she's all yours."

* * *

**Jakku - Now**

* * *

How foolish he'd been.

This was...this was  _fun_.

Ben regretted turning down every one of Rey's offers to let him fly before this moment. He'd not known, could not have guessed, that it would fulfill him on such a deep level.

The Corellian freighter moved like an extension of his own body. It flew better than the  _Silencer_. He'd never been behind the controls of anything so intuitive and responsive. No wonder his father loved his ship, and no wonder Rey had fallen in love on her first flight. Despite the monstrosity of the many, many modifications made over the lifetime of the Falcon, she slipped around with agility and grace, justifying every single one of them.

"This is a great ship," he confessed as they wheeled around a huge Star Destroyer jutting out of the sand.

Rey laughed. "That greatness comes at the price of reliability, or have you forgotten?"

"It's worth it."

"Head that way, if you're done here." She leaned forward and pointed towards an unremarkable horizon.

The Graveyard was a grim place, littered with wreckage and bleached bones. He wasn't sorry to leave it, though it had made a suitable playground for him to test the responsiveness of the Falcon.

When he wasn't thinking about the ship, or listening to Rey's stories about a particular scene, he was quietly and secretly enumerating the many ways Jakku was quickly becoming the worst place he'd ever visited. A more miserable, deplorable spot in all the galaxy Ben could not imagine.

Still, he kept these thoughts to himself, careful to hide them behind a subtle partition he'd erected in his mind. This barrier maintained a facade of reassuring ambivalence for Rey to fall back on when her own emotions and memories became too overwhelming. Ben wanted to be her strength when she felt weak. She needed to believe that he didn't find Jakku horrible and alarming.

— Although he did, and it was. The more he saw of this dismal wasteland, the more his soul quaked with fury that the other half of him had been forced to endure so many years alone here. If the Force could have shown him this future beside her, he would have moved heaven and earth to get her off this rock long,  _long_  ago.

Ben listened to her stories and explanations with an attitude of interest, though sometimes the things she described with nonchalance made him shudder. He thought his childhood had taught him about not getting attached to things or people — they all chose something else, in the end. But while he'd learned about the cruelty of people's choices, hearing her stories made him realize she'd been far better acquainted with the cruelty of fate. She'd grown up watching people die in traumatizing and unexpected ways. No wonder her light was shaded by veins of darkness. Her life had been an exercise in resisting despair and doubt and death.

"Follow that hapabore trail," she motioned, and Ben wondered if that streak of flat sand was what she meant. A few specks moved along it, whether scavengers or indigenous Teedos, he couldn't discern.

The Pilgrim's Road (though the term was far too generous, in his opinion) lead them to the Sacred Villages, perched atop a ravine. Passing over these put a heavy silence between them. Ben didn't need to be told what those were, or why one of them was a sand-covered ruin now.

Rey didn't glance at him, and he could feel a fleeting echo of pain flare in her. She didn't like to be reminded of the things he'd done before. As for Ben himself, he observed the scene with passionate self-loathing. He'd let himself be a puppet for far too long. He had slaughtered innocents for a cause that had, in the end, deceived him. He would have liked to be free of the souls that clamored to him from the void, clawing at his conscience, demanding justice from him — but he did not deserve it. So he endured them. He accepted them as his punishment.

"Hey." Rey's hand found his arm, touch as gentle as her voice. "Head towards those mountains."

He squinted at the horizon, grateful for something else to think about. "There are mountains out there?"

"More like shadows from this distance."

Even shadows seemed like a liberal description. Ben could discern a smudge on the horizon, slightly darker than the sky arcing over it. He pressed the throttle and they surged away from the sacred villages. Dark memories behind them, both breathed a sigh of relief and focused on the smudge, growing now into shadows, and then into jagged, toothy shapes.

"Carbon Ridge," Rey explained as they got closer. "Hostile place. Not much of value up there — unless you believe the rumors."

"And what do the rumors claim?"

He'd vaguely expected to find relief from the stark, wretched landscape among the crags and shaded valleys of the mountains, but that proved utterly wrong. The mountains were merely sharply upthrust monuments of bare, brown rock.

"They say there is a secret Imperial base hidden down there, guarded by creatures called Dead-Enders."

Ben frowned. "I've never heard of that."

She shrugged. "I always assumed it wasn't true. The Dead-Enders are very real, but the base seems farfetched. I just thought they were half-mad survivors of a crash site."

"Has anyone been up there?" He scanned the cracked and baked terrain with new interest, curiosity prickling.

Snoke had never mentioned anything about a secret base on Jakku, but it didn't necessarily mean one didn't exist. Ben's deep dives into the archives of the Empire had unearthed information regarding Emperor Palpatine's keen interest in the Unknown Regions long before the war pushed them out there. Jakku was the last stop before heading into those uncharted territories. It wouldn't be outrageous to think that Palpatine would use Jakku to plan and launch investigations beyond the galactic shores. So...it was possible.

"Ben," Rey said, voice flat and unimpressed. She could feel his stirring interest. "There's nothing."

"Does that mean yes, someone has?"

"Yes. Plutt and a few of his people went looking for valuable salvage. Do you know what they found?"

"I'm guessing trouble, by your tone." He glanced at her with a wry smirk.

She nodded, brows low, mouth set in a hard line. "The Dead-Enders. They came back with bad moods and several fewer men than they left with."

Ben pulled away from the mountainside, searching the steep slopes for a good landing site. He'd spotted what he thought was a likely location for a hiding spot in the form of an ominous cave. "Weapons are no trouble for us."

"For us?" Rey recoiled. "You want to go up there?"

A rocky outcropping caught his eye. It wasn't great, but it was better than landing at the base. He circled it slowly. "Don't you want to know for sure?"

"Not particularly, no."

But Ben knew better. She could feel that her own curiosity had sparked, perhaps lit by the flame of his own. Still, she was fighting it, burying it beneath opposition and logical fact. No matter. He could form a rebuttal for each and every argument rising up in her mind. This place didn't have a lot of emotional connection for her, so here he was going to push this, even if it made her uneasy.

They landed a little precariously, and Ben wondered if this ledge was quite as stable as it looked. Rey's tight, worried grip on the console told him she wondered the same thing.

"This is a bad idea," she said in a low, warning voice.

He waited a moment, listening for groans or shifting rocks beneath them. Nothing. Confident that they weren't about to plunge to their deaths, he finally powered down and stood, giving Rey one last glance. She watched him warily. Ben headed out of the cockpit, not waiting to see if she would follow. But of course she did, as he knew she would. Together they descended the loading ramp, emerging into hot, howling winds which threatened to blow them completely off the mountainside.

Rey gasped and grabbed onto him reflexively. "You didn't even give me a chance to tell you about the wind," she complained above the roaring. "Or the rockslides!"

He slipped her arm through his and grabbed her hand. "Come on. We'll be fine."

The reluctance on her face almost made him call off the plan. She was afraid — which baffled him, considering the danger she had faced in the past with barely a flicker of worry. Despite this fear, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded and gave him permission to continue.

He pressed his shoulder into the wind and led them, holding tightly to Rey, her arm tucked beneath his. He angled his body in front of hers as much as he could so as to shield her from the gale. But kriff, it was  _hot._ He glanced up at the path climbing up towards a dark, gaping maw in the mountainside. They'd landed near it, which was fortunate.

Ben couldn't really identify why this mystery had seized him, or why it felt so important to investigate. Rey was probably right — she had lived here her entire life, after all. But something drove him onward, compelling him to find out for himself. It came from a place inside him he was used to heeding. Maybe not quite the Force, this didn't necessarily have the flavor of something to do with the Force, but it did come from the same well that housed his instincts.

Thankfully, Rey had decided to go along with this incomprehensible whim, even though he knew she didn't really get it.

They climbed, and eventually the path twisted them out of the full force of the wind. It still tousled them vigorously, but no longer seemed to be trying to kill them.

"Ripper-raptors," Rey said, pointing up to the sky.

Four huge reptilians rode the thermals high above them, leathery wings outstretched as they circled slowly. Ben felt Rey shudder against him, and drew her in a little closer.

"Scavengers of a different sort?" he guessed.

She nodded, eyeing the creatures uncomfortably. "Where there are ripper-raptors, there will soon be dead things for them to eat."

"They'll be disappointed," Ben assured her. No doubt Rey had watched them devour a not-quite-dead victim once or twice, explaining the deep dread he detected flowing through her. He tried to push back with calm reassurance. They could handle just about anything. A few carrion lizards weren't anything to get worked up about. Though he had to admit, the sight of them hanging in the air like that, tracking the two humans' ascent, gave him an eerie feeling.

The path became very steep right before the cave, until Ben and Rey were forced to use their hands to scrabble up the last few feet. They emerged on a ledge much bigger than the one they'd used as a landing pad, though this one was surrounded by huge boulders and a debris field of smashed and splintered rocks. Clearly they shouldn't linger here too long. The rest of the mountain sloped above them towards a jagged, broken peak. He understood the danger of rockslides now, observing the shattered evidence of them at his feet.

But beyond that, the cave. A black scar in the side of the earth, ominous and threatening.

Ben moved towards it. Rey fell into step beside him, still nervous but forcing strength into her every step. He admired this about her. Even when she was afraid, she could always somehow tap into a well of courage.

A shadow moved between them and the cave — a figure, shifting between boulders.

Rey stopped, and Ben followed suit.

A huge rock came hurling down at them from above, flashing in Ben's periphery. He lashed out with a protective burst of Force, sending the rock to smash harmlessly against an enormous boulder.

"They're trying to stone us," Rey warned as another flew at them.

Ben deflected that one as well, frowning. "Are these the Dead-Enders?"

"Yeah."

One of them stepped out into view. He was unmistakably human, with a huge white beard flowing nearly to his ankles and wild, glassy blue eyes. He wore tattered and broken Imperial armor and screamed a string of numbers. He then chucked another massive rock at them.

Rey took this one, sending it blasting straight back to the attacker. It smashed into his chest and knocked him flat, a scream that choked into a wheeze shattering the mountain silence.

More figures began to emerge, all almost identical. They stared at their fallen comrade, blinking and processing slowly.

Here was that trouble she mentioned. Ben unclipped his lightsaber and ignited it, the anticipation of a good fight trickling into his veins. He was ready. Though, if they were unarmed except for rocks, this could quickly become a slaughter.

At the sight of the lightsaber, every single figure reacted — at first recoiling, and then erupting into savage, senseless cries and waving hands.

Rey glanced at Ben, and he at her.

"What does that mean?" he asked her.

She shrugged.

The figures moved towards them slowly, still bawling in incomprehensible babble, but now they stretched out their hands before them as if in supplication. This bizarre sight forced Ben back a step, wary and confused. Rey, however, moved towards them. Ben did not like this. He reached out and grabbed her before she got too close to these human-shaped ghosts.

They moved like men already dead. Slow, weary, pained. Their armor was in deplorable condition, and every single one sported a beard as long as the first. Their skin had turned leathery and tough in the relentless heat of the mountainside, but their eyes shone brightly — too brightly. They glistened with madness.

"I don't think they're going to hurt us anymore," Rey murmured, letting him pull her back to his side.

Ben wasn't so convinced. He thrust out with his mind, searching for whatever she thought she felt. The men were mostly gone, at least in their mental capacity. They repeated strings of thought over and over in their minds, but intent filtered through the nonsense in vague wisps. And Rey was right. In that intent, Ben sensed only wanting and relief, no threat.

He clicked off his lightsaber, but did not relax.

The men stopped just short of the couple, sinking to their knees, groaning syllables without words. Two of them reached for Ben's boot, touching it almost reverently.

"Umm..." said Rey, observing this worship.

Ben shook them off, skin crawling at the idea of these wraiths touching any part of him. "What is this?"

The men all flinched and opened their mouths wordlessly, gaping in silent stupor.

Rey squatted down to their level. "Who are you?"

Six pairs of glassy, distant eyes fixated on Ben. None of them seemed to hear her.

Ben frowned. "Are you officers of the Empire?"

One of them expelled a groaning sound.

"I don't...I don't think they can really talk anymore," Rey decided, standing when she realized they only cared about Ben. "Maybe we can find the answers we need inside them?"

Ben glanced at her with a lifted brow. "Are you suggesting a probe?"

She winced, but nodded. Her reluctance was palpable. "You're...pretty gentle, when you want to be. Maybe they won't even feel it."

They wouldn't, unless they were actively trying to resist him. Given the devastated nature of their cognitive function, Ben doubted they'd put up much of a fight even if they did know what he intended to do. So he lifted a hand and directed it towards the nearest of them, letting the cosmic energy that thrummed through him flow into the other man, wrapping around his enfeebled mind and opening its rusty gate.

There wasn't much left. A few fragments of memories, more than thirty years old now, of superior officers in Imperial garb issuing instruction. These instructions revolved around and around, circling on an endless loop, the only thing that remained after all this time.

_Guard the base until he comes. Guard the base until he comes. Guard the base until he comes._

When Ben searched for who "he" was, he found a fractured image of Darth Vader, red saber flashing before him, flanked by Darth Sidious. Darkness emerged, deep and yawning, stretching before him like a chasm and calling him by name.

He wrenched himself out of the man's mind, expelling a short, shaken breath.

"What did you see?" Rey asked urgently.

The shade before him didn't even seem to have noticed. His posture, expression, and breathing didn't change.

"They are Imperials," he confirmed. "And they were instructed to keep watch here, thirty years ago. They've been waiting..."

"Waiting for what?"

"For Darth Vader. Or the Emperor." He offered the hilt of his lightsaber to her.

She took it, turning it over in her hands as comprehension dawned. "They think  _you're_  Darth Vader?"

"I think they're too far gone to recognize more than just the red beam."

All once, Rey drew herself up and pressed the weapon back into his hands. "Tell them to show us the base. If they were instructed to guard this place, it means there is one after all. They'll listen to you. Use that, and get us into the base."

Sometimes, when she spoke in a certain way or held herself tight and squared like that, Ben could glimpse the empress she might have been. He grinned, just a little, and turned back to the creatures at his feet. He didn't feel the need to pretend to be his grandfather. They could not recognize the difference anyway. Instead he ignited his saber and watched as all eyes turned to the crackling blade, drawn like moths to a flame.

He pointed with it towards the cave. "Take us inside."

They rose. Two remained behind while the others lurched into step. Something about their posture had straightened and they seemed to walk with a little more purpose than before. Good. That meant there was something of the old soldiers still left inside them. Ben tingled with anticipation as they followed these creatures past the dead man with the crushed chest. A surge of guilt and sorrow swelled within Rey at the sight of him. Ben knew she hadn't meant to kill their attacker, but her aim had been a bit too accurate and her defensive instinct a bit too strong.

_It was a mercy,_  he assured her silently.  _These men have been waiting for death for a long time._

This eased her anguish a little, but he knew it would take her a while to really believe that.

Darkness swallowed them up as they entered the cave, lit only by the crimson glow of his hissing lightsaber. A long tunnel wound down and down, plunging deep into the heart of the mountain. If Ben hadn't personally glimpsed inside the mind of one of these guards, he might suspect they were being led into a deadly and unescapable trap. But there was no deception left in them, only one unshakeable order.

Finally the passage opened. They couldn't tell how big the space was, only that the tight walls of the cavern had leapt suddenly into the blackness, too far away to discern. One of the men disappeared into the gloom. Rey pressed in close to Ben, her face awash with the eerie red glow. Ben wondered why she didn't light her own blade for additional light. Detecting this question, she shook her head and gave their remaining companions a dubious look.

Somewhere a loud clack sounded, followed by a slow whirring. Popping and buzzing, a series of lights flickered to life and illuminated an enormous cavern. Rey gasped and Ben's heart skipped a beat, both struck with speechless awe by what unfolded before their eyes.


	3. Into The Deep

 

* * *

**Rey**

* * *

A treasure trove.

That's what Rey thought at first, when the lights came stuttering to life and illuminated the vast construct beneath the mountain. It looked like a treasure trove. A real life, dingy-but-glorious sea of valuables. Only these weren't jewels. It was gear. Enough loot to set a single scavenger up for hundreds of lifetimes.

The walls were stark and definitely military, holding up a natural cave ceiling crossed with wires and ductwork. The room could have fit a whole hangar's worth of vehicles, but instead contained a city of computer terminals, stacks and stacks of boxes, endless rows of old Imperial stormtrooper armor, and pallets of weapons. The boxes promised further treasures, the likes of which Rey could only dimly imagine.

It  _was_  an Imperial base. Caked in a layer of dust, but otherwise perfect. Well stocked and still waiting for a combat unit to descend and make use of it, thirty years later.

She gaped, turning in a full circle, dumbstruck. This vast collection of extremely well-preserved loot had been here for her entire life. Untouched. And the only thing needed to access it was a red lightsaber.

Heedless of her companions, she ran towards one of the pallets of weapons, running her fingers over a case of standard-issue stormtrooper blasters. A thrill ran through her, thinking of the price such perfect items would fetch in Niima. No doubt the charge packs were dead — and if not they'd have to be very, very careful lest some had become unstable after all this time — but still... the portions these would have fetched! Her brain fought for clarity in all this awe, trying to calculate what Plutt might offer in his most generous moods.

"Ben..." she said, shivering and glancing up.

He had drifted towards a computer console, his face a blank mask. But she knew the truth. She could feel his heart pounding inside him with excited wonder, his mind spinning as dizzily as her own.

"Why is this here? Why store all of this on Jakku, of all places?" The question emerged from her before she even realized it was brewing. It seemed unlikely that Ben would know. Her gaze flicked to the Dead-Enders, still standing listlessly by the entrance, their eyes following Ben. No doubt they knew the answer, once, long ago.

"It was probably the last Imperial stockpile." Ben looked around as he ran a finger through the grime on a computer screen, then rubbed it off with his thumb. "The last supply station before heading into the Unknown Regions."

That did make some sense, she supposed. Her planet's only claim to fame, before the decisive Battle of Jakku ended the war, was that it was right on the edge of the wild and dangerous frontier of uncharted space. Foolhardy souls chasing legends and mysteries would stop here for one last refuel before launching into the abyss. If the Empire wanted to do the same, no doubt they would build their own station, rather than rely on Niima the Hutt and her pitiful supplies.

She moved towards one of the unmarked boxes, curious. What would the Empire have stored here besides armor and weapons? Ben joined her, and the eyes of the Dead-Enders followed him.

"Are they going to stick around?" Rey whispered. The sound echoed around the vast space. She still felt a little guilty that she'd killed one of them, especially now that she understood their sorry plight, but it didn't stop the wave of creepiness that came every time she looked at the men.

Ben's gaze caught hers with a hint of knowing. "They disturb you."

"Don't they do the same for you?"

"No." Still, he turned to the Dead-Enders and motioned to the tunnel they'd come through. "Go. Guard the base. I will come for you when I need you again."

If this order to resume their duties gave them any emotional response at all, they didn't show it. Instead, they turned and shuffled out. The moment they were gone, Rey felt immediately relieved. She looked around with a new sense of freedom, now that they weren't being watched.

When Ben had decided to come here, she thought he'd been certifiably insane. There was nothing,  _nothing_  about investigating the old rumors that appealed to her. She'd been there when Unkar and what remained of his men returned from their own investigation, and it had solidified her suspicion that nothing but death and disappointment awaited seekers of fables. She didn't intend to be one of them. Not for the sake of a myth. Ironic, considering the turn her life had taken since then, depositing her directly into a world where myths had come to life and fables became dangerous, thrilling reality.

Now, surrounded by all this, she was very glad Ben had insisted. Of all their adventures over the last few months, this was certainly one of the more bizarre — and exciting.. Electricity crackled in her veins, making her jumpy and awakening her inner child. She wanted to run around and look at everything, to open every box and rifle through all the supplies. No doubt there was food somewhere here too, vast quantities of it, enough to keep the Dead-Enders alive all this time. Tunnels branched off from this main chamber, calling her to explore every inch of this base. She wanted to see it all.

But she played it cool instead, tapping into some of Ben's reserved, methodical calm to stem the tide of urgent energy flooding through her.

"I wonder why this isn't labeled," Ben mused, examining the rectangular box before them. It was metallic and fitted with two handles on either side for easier carrying. Though, Rey thought, it was big enough that doing so would have been awkward and cumbersome.

She fidgeted impatiently. Studious Ben and his studious approach to discovery, examining all facets of its exterior. She wanted to rip the lid off and see what was inside.

"It's locked," he determined, finger twining around a small, innocuous fingerprint scanner dangling from an eyehole latch.

Rey perked up. She recognized it. She'd found one similar long ago and used it to make her speeder useless to anyone without her prints. Useful little things, especially when housed in protective casing. Without it, they were a bit delicate. Flashing Ben a quick grin, she transmitted a ' _wait here_ ' feeling as she dashed back over to the blasters.

Rey lifted one gingerly, supporting it in the crook of her arm to access the charge pack connection. It looked stable, but she wasn't going to risk it. With slow, cautious movements and a great deal of delicacy, she unhooked the connector and threaded the charge pack out of the blaster's stock.

As soon as it was free, she ran back to Ben and presented him with the weapon.

He gave her an unimpressed look. "I'm not going to insult you by asking if you know they don't actually work without the power pack."

She laughed. "Thank you. I do know that, yes. I had a different sort of use in mind."

Since he didn't seem inclined to try to discern it himself, she showed him what she meant by tipping the blaster and sharply slamming the back end of it into the lock. It cracked. She drove metal into metal one more time and was rewarded with a satisfying shattering sound. Splintered pieces fell away, dropping to the soft earth. Rey gave Ben a triumphant grin, and received an amused one in response.

"I'll let you do the honors," she said with a gesture. "In case whatever's in there was contained for a reason."

A low chuckle, so soft she almost missed it, rumbled from him as he reached for — and lifted — the lid.

"Whoa," Rey breathed, a reverent hush taking the wind right out of her words. "What...what is it?"

Light danced over a deep sea of white crystals, sparkling in dazzling array. They seemed to soak in the light and radiate it back out, giving the interior of the box a subtle glow.

Ben reached in and carefully plucked one out, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. It bent the light and cast little illusionary rainbows in the air around it.

"Kyber?" Rey asked excitedly.

"Nova," he murmured, transfixed. "They're called Nova crystals."

Rey picked one up herself. It was smooth and refined, and breathtakingly beautiful. She didn't know what a Nova crystal was, but the radiating awe in Ben's mind made her believe they were rare, and maybe valuable.

"Very," he replied. "Very, very valuable. Especially white like this. Usually they are green."

The little stone rolled in her hands, its tiny spectrums tumbling with it. She bounced it once to test its weight. Lighter than she expected. Her mind began to race again, pulled into the whirlwind of possibilities that were beginning to dawn with this new fortune at their disposal.

"Do you think there are more?" she asked, looking around with renewed curiosity. Similar, unmarked boxes were stacked in various places, each promising the same glorious stash inside. It  _was_  a treasure trove after all. With the real stuff, as well as the gear.

"I'm certain," Ben said with a nod. His mind was busy working too, though not on the future. Rey felt him sinking into rumination about the past, vague thoughts of the Empire transferring to her.

Without searching for context, she didn't really understand it, so she left him to his contemplation while she pocketed her stone and picked up the blaster, stalking off to find another box and see what was inside. Again she eyed the branching corridors leading away from this room, and again experienced the tingle of anticipation. Their time on Jakku wasn't indefinite. They hadn't planned to stay long, and she had no way of knowing how vast this complex was, or how long it would take to explore it. But still. She couldn't  _not_  poke around.

"I'll be right back," she called to Ben, abandoning her pursuit of the other boxes to head for the nearest passage. From his side of her mind, she felt a twinge of concern, but he voiced no protest. Their connection kept them tethered, even as she moved further away from him. He would know if she ran into trouble.

The corridor was built out in stark, minimalist decor, not unlike the First Order Star Destroyers and the base on Naboo. The Empire had certainly influenced the aesthetic of its successor. But then, the First Order wasn't so much a successor of the old Empire as much as it was its remnant. Rey mused idly to herself about the old and new regimes as she opened the first door she found. It revealed an empty barracks full of bunks, stacked with more boxes. These ones were labeled as containing boots and officer uniforms. After poking around and finding nothing particularly interesting, despite the fact that everything about this place was interesting, she left and explored three more vast barracks.

Clearly the Empire had stationed personnel here at some point, but Rey still wasn't sure why. A checkpoint for resupply made sense, but why have room for so many to sleep and live?

The passage turned, and she turned with it, coming face to face with a cave-in blocking the rest of the tunnel. The lights still worked in the corridor around her, so she could plainly see the scorch-marks on the pristine walls and charred rocks. It had been…blasted?

Doubling back, she found another hallway leading off from the main vein, though it too ended in a cave-in. She frowned. Someone had destroyed this place, whether by accident or on purpose. Along this hall, however, she did discover a room still intact which made her heart skip a giddy beat.

It was a storeroom. A storeroom for food. Dry goods, protein packs, and survival rations greeted her from open boxes, stacked high and deep. She scooped an armful out of a box and hurried back to the main chamber, eager to show Ben her discovery.

She found him bent over a holotable, fiddling with the controls.

He glanced up when she returned, clearly relieved at first, and then curious. "What did you find?"

"Everything ends only a little ways down. The halls have all been blasted closed. I've a feeling this used to be a lot bigger."

"Hmm." He returned his attention to the table.

Rey wasn't finished. "But look, I found the food! And there's a lot of it."

Ben didn't look up, and didn't sound surprised. "Probably how the guards have survived all this time."

"That's what I suspect too." She set the items down on a nearby computer terminal and selected a protein pack for herself while she came up beside Ben and peered at what he was trying to do. Clearly he didn't understand what a boon it was to find such a gratuitous supply of food on Jakku, because his reaction was really underwhelming. Still, Rey couldn't hold it against him. Besides, he was distracted, and likely not at all hungry.

The holotable sputtered and buzzed, trying to come to life after long disuse.

"Did you find anything here?" she asked.

"More crystals." He motioned over to a few of the other unmarked containers. "And Spice, and Outer Rim unregulated coins."

"Spice?" Rey spotted the box in question. Even from this vantage, she could see the packets of brown powder peeping from an open top. "Like the drug?"

She didn't have much experience with Spice. No scavenger she knew could afford it, so the only people she met who used the addictive narcotic were off-worlders. Some of them ended up staying on Jakku, too strung out to make the right kind of decisions that would get them off-world again, or just plain too broke to leave. They always tried to make it as scavengers, but she knew from experience that they were often the exceptionally foolish kind. They never lasted for long.

"Yes," Ben confirmed.

"Why would the Empire stockpile a drug?"

"Same reason they stockpiled the coins, and the Nova crystals. It looks like they were shoring up stores of various currencies. No doubt they knew a day would come when the Imperial Credit would become unstable."

The holotable finally warmed up enough to cough into life, a hazy, grainy projection blooming in the center. It was a star map, though Rey could not recognize any part of it. Ben pressed another button, and the flickering image slowly loaded a new scene. Another map, but this one of — Carbon Ridge. Rey blinked.

"That's where we are." She pointed at a particular ripple in the mountainside. Snaking through the readout was a long series of tunnels and chambers, leading away from them and deep into the earth, down and down until it would require a different map entirely to follow where it went. Rey stared and marveled.

Ben was busy reading some information that came up beside the map. "A research facility…" he murmured.

"Who would destroy a research facility?" Rey still scanned the map, noting that the chamber they'd come in seemed to be a large storage area at the back of the base, with a main entrance situated in another part of Carbon Ridge. She wondered if it too had been blasted shut.

"The Battle of Jakku," Ben said, turning to her. "The Empire was probably under orders to destroy this place when the rebels arrived. They couldn't risk it falling into rebel hands."

"But why is this room still intact, then?" She gestured vaguely around them. "Why the Dead-Enders and their order to guard it?"

Ben shook his head. "Perhaps they didn't mean to. It seems foolish to leave this much wealth behind after they'd gone. I imagine they thought it was destroyed too."

Wealth. So much wealth. Rey turned away from the projection and let her gaze wander over everything all over again, thrilling anew. They could do anything they wanted with this kind of fortune. Anything at all. Buy any ship, any building, maybe even any planet. They could go anywhere, eat everything, be comfortable. They would never have to worry about money again. Not that Ben ever had. But she, at least, could finally feel secure.

Putting her hand in her pocket, she withdrew her Nova crystal and considered it once more. A peculiar kind of emotion was creeping over her, slowly, like heat exhaustion at the end of a long day. It ate at her excitement, chipping it to pieces in favor of something more weary.

Overwhelmed. That's what she was. Utterly overwhelmed. That all this gratuitous excess and richness existed all along, only a few miles away from her, while she toiled ceaselessly just to have a bite to eat at the end of the day. Nothing allowed her a day off. Not injury or illness, not the regular female intervals of inconvenient ache and mess and lethargy, not sorrow or storms or just being too sick of it all. If she didn't scavenge, she didn't eat. Yet here was food and riches to spare.

Now that the initial joy of discovery was wearing off, she found herself holding back anger. Or maybe sadness. Something choked her and soured her glee into a clog of unpleasant emotion.

Part of it, she realized, was coming from Ben. He stared into the sputtering, pixelated holo, his thoughts a deep, churning current.

"What's wrong?" She pressed into his mind gently, more of a nudge than a real intrusion. Maybe focusing on his troubled thoughts would draw her out of her own.

He glanced at her, flicking off the holo. "I've been thinking of what we should do with all this."

"What we should do?" A frown tugged at her mouth. "What do you mean? We're not just going to treat this as our own personal bank and come get what we need, when we want?"

"This fortune doesn't belong to us."

Her temper flashed at this, provoked by fresh memories of her lifelong deprivation. "Why not? Apparently Darth Vader was supposed to come here, before it all got blown up. You're his heir. I think that makes this yours."

"It didn't belong to him either, Rey. It was extracted from the galaxy."

What did that have to do with anything? The ships in the Graveyard and every part within had been extracted from the galaxy at some point too, but now they were fair game.  _Finders, keepers_  was the law of Jakku.

"The galaxy hasn't missed it," she muttered.

"Do you know how Nova Crystals are made?"

"I assume they're mined." Her tone was more icy than she meant it to be. Ben couldn't know what it meant for her to suddenly arrive at the prospect of never worrying about how to afford a meal again. He couldn't know, because he had never gone hungry. And maybe sticking with him meant she would never go hungry again either, even without this fortune. Still, it was hard to curb her annoyance.

He continued patiently, as if her sarcasm hadn't held a barbed edge. "They were primarily refined by Wookiee slaves. It was grueling work, and most Wookiees died turning Nova into crystals. Part of what makes them so rare and valuable is how labor-intensive they are. I thought they'd gone out of circulation long ago. I didn't realize the Empire had just collected them."

Rey looked at the pretty little gem in her hand and its phantom rainbows, and this time imagined it was soaked in Chewie's blood. She almost dropped it.

"So…are you suggesting we give all of them back to Kashyyyk?" The venom had gone out of her now, unable to hold up in the face of this revelation.

He shook his head. "Not exactly, though not far off either, I suppose."

Again, that twinge of pain in him. This base had peeled open some part of him she'd only glimpsed a few times. A place of aching, yearning regret. She waited for him to continue.

"I think we could use it to help them."

"The Wookiees?"

"The galaxy."

Recognizing his suffering, she moved towards him, reaching with her mind as well as a hand that brushed his arm. His thoughts were preoccupied and fretful. It wasn't like him. The touch strengthened her connection to his thoughts, and she saw images of Tuanul burning through him. She almost flinched away, certain that she did not want to see his participation in that horrific crime. Ignorance really was bliss when it came to Ben's atrocities. But it wasn't just Tuanul on his mind. He also remembered the explosions on the  _Raddus_ , the streaks of light arcing towards the Hosnian system, the many victims felled by his crackling blade, the many planets broken and enslaved by the same master who held him on a leash.

And she understood.

When they saw these riches, each of them saw their own personal hell, and a way out. She saw a guarantee that she'd never experience the depths of poverty and starvation again. Ben saw a way to repair what he had broken.

A way to make amends.

His dark eyes searched hers, soft and gentle, fully aware of her presence in his mind. His hands found her elbows and drew her a little closer, inviting her in further, allowing her to explore any part of his sequestered soul she wanted to discover. He wore that expression he'd used in the past when he needed her to understand something.

"Rey," he murmured, throat bobbing. "Maybe our destiny isn't just about exploring the mysteries of the Force. Maybe I'm supposed to make restitution for the things I've done by using the spoils of the Empire to rebuild the galaxy. Maybe I can finally be free of it all."

Her hand came up to his face, touching the place on his cheek marred by that thin scar. It mirrored the split nature of his soul. Through his search for acceptance and meaning, he had sold off pieces of himself. Bartered his soul in exchange for an identity. The deeds he'd done in the name of that exchange gnawed at him even now, long after he'd escaped it, long after he'd come to a place of self-acceptance. Even if he could be at rest with Rey in this new middle ground they sought, he still carried with him the endless reverberations of his crimes.

But now he saw a way out.

"Will you help me?" he asked, voice dropped to a soft, pleading whisper.

"Yes." Of course she would. How could she say no? If this would bring Ben peace, she would spend every last crystal, gram of Spice, and wupiupi to do it. Also, it had the happy side effect of making him, the agent of so much bad, a force of good in the galaxy at last.

Being this close, both physically and emotionally, spurred her heart into thudding a little too hard. To release some of the building butterflies in her stomach, she leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek. Kissed that scar. It would remain a permanent part of him, but they could heal the internal wounds. He didn't have to carry those forever.

"Though," she admitted when she sank back down, heat rising in her face. "I don't really know how."

His mouth, deliciously tempting and altogether distracting, quirked into a half-smile as his eyes continued to hold her in warmth and affection. "I thought a scavenger seemed like the right partner to have in the work of salvaging the broken."

A light clicked to life within her mind, and she stiffened in surprise. "Oh!"

"What is it?"

"The scavengers…" Rey pulled away from him, eyes widening. She turned and hurried over to a box of Nova crystals, calling as she went. "Does your plan to rebuild include Jakku?"

Ben followed. "The First Order impoverished or destroyed many planets, but Jakku's problems are all its own. Our actions here have clearly had little lasting impact on the local economy. But you're thinking of something radical."

"I am," she admitted, running her hands through her box, drawing lines through the bright, glittering stones. "And it wouldn't even scratch the surface of all this. Just a few of these should do the trick."

He pressed into her thoughts, and she allowed it, letting him see the budding idea even as she explained it aloud.

"Plutt can't control people who don't rely on him for survival. What if we paid the scavengers directly? With a crystal and survival rations. The crystal will buy their way off this rock. If we can offer the prospect of freedom, they will eagerly plunder each and every remaining Interceptor for parts — probably will go out of their way to find more ships still untouched. Everyone wants to get out of here. They will jump at the chance."

Ben looked at her pityingly. "Rey. That's naively optimistic. Face it, most of them will squander what we give them on vices and foolish decisions, and they'll still be stuck here. You know better than I do that most of the people who end up here do so because of their own poor judgement."

She bristled. "Yes, I am quite aware of that."

They were the words of the entitled and privileged, evidence of all the assumptions that came with upper class living. They cast all the downtrodden under the same umbrella of subtle blame. As if they had earned their miserable fate, and thus deserved it. Rey had encountered such attitudes before. Perhaps because she did not fit that mold, she found it particularly offensive. It was even more annoying at the moment, because it wasn't necessarily wrong. There  _were_  scavengers who would do exactly as he suspected. But this was Ben, and it was hard to be genuinely angry at him.

Drawing a measured breath, Rey continued. "Some will waste their opportunity, but not all of them. And shouldn't they all at least have the chance to make a different choice? To improve their situation? Some will take it. They will escape this place. And some may stay and choose to use their new money to set up their own sales and trades. And at the very least, Plutt deserves to watch his tightly controlled reign crumble."

He watched her closely, monitoring both her expressions and her emotions. But this was fine with her. At least it allowed him to feel her intent.

Eventually, he nodded. "I can see this is important to you. And it does intrigue me. We might change the shape of this society, simply by preying on the Crolute's seat of power."

"Exactly," Rey said, grinning now. Her irritation from a moment ago faded, replaced by bright excitement.

"A single Nova crystal would be more than enough to buy anyone passage off this rock," he mused. "But I imagine your junk boss will not take lightly the disassembly of his garbage kingdom. Are you concerned he'll prey on the scavengers after we're gone?"

To this, Rey answered with a flashing glance and a conspiratorial smile. "Well, we'll just have to put the fear of the Force in him, so he never forgets who and what destroyed him, won't we?"

Ben's mouth twitched, tipping at the edges as the current between them swelled with amusement and admiration and deep, heated attraction.

"Hm," he hummed, pleased. "Your dark side is showing, Rey."

She scooped a handful of crystals and dumped them into her pocket, making a teasing show of ignoring this remark. "Come on. We've got work to do."


	4. Memories Old, Memories New

**Rey**

* * *

The work, they decided, could wait until morning. When Ben and Rey finally emerged from the cave, they were surprised to find the sun sinking low in the cloudless sky. Ben charged the Dead-Enders with guarding the base until he came back, perpetuating their eternal directive with all the confidence that they would follow through.

The two Force users picked their way through the wailing winds back down to the Falcon, still perched dangerously on its narrow ledge. They brought only a few of the valuables from the base with them, deciding to come back for more when they'd finished their business in Niima. As Ben breezed them away from the stark mountainside, Rey felt him reveling in the secret they now shared of the treasure buried in the rocks. And he was pleased about his plan, suddenly more interested in resuming control over the First Order now that he had an idea for what to do with it.

Soon. They'd get there soon.

But first, there was one more memory they had to dig up today. One more scab to pick open.

Rey dreaded it, but they both knew it was time. Night would fall soon, and though they could comfortably sleep on the Falcon, they didn't trust Plutt's thugs not to mess with the ship if they parked it at Niima until morning. Besides, it wouldn't be the close of day on Jakku if she didn't go home.

"You passed it," she remarked softly as they skimmed over a swath of unremarkable desert.

"I didn't see anything."

"Exactly."

In a wide arc, he turned them around and eased back on the throttle, slowing and descending enough that it was easier to scan the empty terrain. Empty to him, perhaps, but Rey recognized it. This had been her territory, and she had defended it as fiercely as her life. And there — half-buried beneath the sand, the fallen form of an AT-AT.

Feeling her flicker of recognition and needing no further instruction, Ben began his landing approach.

"You lived in that?" he asked, surprised and skeptical.

Rey nodded. She'd never seen it from the perspective of an off-worlder before, or anyone who had grown up in a real home. Just like Niima itself, it didn't hold up. Where it once struck her as a sanctuary, she now saw a sad trash heap. She swallowed.

Ben landed next to it, setting the Falcon down so gently Rey almost didn't feel it. The heady, rushed excitement of their discovery in the mountains was rapidly vanishing, replaced by apprehension and reluctance. Her home had been her most personal, most intimate, most lonely refuge. She had loved it, despite the sorrow she so often felt there. The last thing she wanted was to see it in a pillaged and ravaged state.

But she couldn't properly move on from this place without visiting it one last time.

The Force shifted around her, undulating with Ben's influence as he reacted to her nervous dread and wrapped his reassurance around her. She reminded herself what whatever they found out there, it wasn't her life anymore. This place had only been a waiting room, and the real truth of her existence began as soon as she left it. It wasn't important anymore.

The first thing she noticed when they walked down the ramp was something she'd never felt in all her time she'd lived here. The fabric of the Force. Attuned as she was to it now, she noticed for the first time how thin and wispy it was here. The great web of cosmic energy was sparse and stretched, only fortified now by the presence of the two powerful sources.

"The Force is faint because life is scarce here," Ben agreed. "It could be one of the reasons your abilities manifested so much later in life than usual. It would have been difficult for that seed to take root or grow out here. But what does exist is strong. Can you feel that?"

She could. The few errant strands of energy were sturdy and steadfast, imbued with the unbreakable determination to exist that emanated from all the living things on this dead world.

They moved towards the AT-AT and the entrance in its belly. In operation, it would have only been an auxiliary escape hatch, but for Rey it had been her main point of entry and exit. It looked undisturbed, but she didn't trust it.

"How old were you when you found this place?" Ben asked.

"Eleven, I think." Time was hard to keep track of. In Niima, they marked the year by the first of the boiling winds to come sweeping through. Rey had made a guess as to her age, based on the skeptical conjecture of one of her fellow scavengers, but she couldn't really be sure.

He took her hand, interlocking their fingers. He liked doing that, she had come to learn — found excuses for it more and more frequently. Rey didn't mind, mostly because it was Ben and anything he did that brought them into contact was breathlessly pleasant. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have tolerated it.

She led him to the auxiliary hatch. The lever had been more or less sealed closed by the wind and sand and disuse. Rey wondered how long it had been since anyone had tried to open it. She grabbed the lever and tried to pull. It didn't budge an inch. Even a few strong yanks were not enough to free it. Ben, with his much larger and admittedly stronger body, eased her aside so he could try. Giving it a mighty heave, he was rewarded with the squeal of metal grinding against metal.

Shouldering the protesting hatch open, Ben bent and ducked into the dark belly of the fallen war machine. Rey drew a deep breath, braced herself, and followed.

At first, she saw very little. The only light filtering in came from the hatch they now blocked. But as soon as they moved aside and her eyes adjusted to drink in the darkness, she became overwhelmed with emotion.

Everything was exactly as she'd left it. Like it had been waiting all this time for her to return home.

A pain in her throat and a pooling sensation in her eyes prevented her from taking stock of every single item, but her heart knew it all. Had known it for most of her life. Here she came face to face with herself, and it was as overwhelming as it had been when it happened in the sea cave on Ahch-To.

Ben looked around. His attention first turned to the scratches on the wall, filling the space with a long march of days, before it turned to the various trappings and fixings scattered about. She was too caught up in this blast from the past to monitor his reaction, but as she searched for an anchor to ground her before she floated away on the tides of memory, she gradually became aware of his quiet consternation.

Rey drifted forward, moving to the nearest of her old belongings and letting her fingers greet everything with a light touch. She'd never been the sentimental sort — if an item had more trade value than practical use, away it went. Still, she couldn't help feeling incredibly fond of all these things now that she was back among them.

"This was all yours?" Ben asked, even though he knew the answer. He seemed to be searching for something to say.

She nodded. "Just as I left it. I can hardly understand why no one has touched it in all this time."

"Perhaps your reputation endured, despite your absence."

His voice was not so near now, and she glanced to see him wandering among her things on the other side of the compartment. "I worked very hard on that reputation. If you're right, I did a better job than I ever imagined."

"You sound surprised," he mused, brushing his fingertips over the brittle, dried flower of a long-dead Night Blossom. Even under that delicate touch, some of it dissolved into powdery dust.

Watching him move about her deeply private sanctum, the one place where she knew she was safe, where nothing was allowed except her and what she chose to bring in, she was struck by other emotions which had nothing to do with the relief and nostalgia from a moment ago.

He bent and picked up a doll made from a rebel flight suit. It looked so small in his large hands. Rey resisted the urge to snatch it away from him, pretending to be interested in her old Y-wing computer simulator instead.

Ben considered the doll, brushing his thumb over it. His own thoughts were difficult to discern. He kept them carefully out of her perception.

He was too big for the space, she decided. His large, broad body took up more room than she had ever allocated to anything. Not unlike the space he occupied in her heart, actually. The surreal sight of Ben Solo exploring her home hit her full force, and her stomach gave a fluttery little turn. She swallowed and turned away.

"I see you mostly confined your living space to this compartment. What did you do with the others?"

"I didn't need much room. Some of it I turned into my workshop, for repairing parts before I sold them to Unkar. Some of it was just empty." She peeked again. He had discovered her hammock, and was observing its attachment to the ceiling — or rather, the side. It was tied to hooks originally meant for securing cargo.

"Your bed?" he asked.

"It's best to sleep off the ground. Gnaw-jaw bugs come out at night and chew on anything that appears to be dead. I didn't often get them in here, but sometimes."

He glanced at her heating plate, giving a nod of indication. "And was that your kitchen?"

"Yes."

His dark eyes roved over everything, taking it all in, and Rey felt embarrassed to have him see it. Even though she loved it, her home was shabby and ridiculous compared to everything he had ever known.

"It's not," Ben said firmly.

"It's not what?"

"Ridiculous." He turned to face her. Their movements had pulled them nearer now. "You were worried I think your home ridiculous. I don't."

She found herself caught in his endless stare. Yes, he was definitely too big for this place. "It's sheer squalor compared to your life."

"It's inventive and resourceful. It's exactly what you needed to be, and it suits you." A flash of cunning glinted in the night of his eyes, a spark of amusement as he added, "Like you, it's a little alarming and peculiar at first, but more and more intriguing upon closer inspection."

Absurdly, Rey felt herself blush and turn away. Sometimes Ben could be frustrating and dogmatic, insistent and severe, but sometimes he could also be so incredibly compassionate and gentle. He had always demonstrated both of these behaviors, which is why she'd been confused about how to feel towards him for so long, but lately he'd become much more the latter person towards her.

"It'll be dark soon," she hedged. "We probably shouldn't stay long."

"Do you want to sleep here?"

"No." It was the truth. She didn't want that, especially because there was nowhere for Ben to sleep and she wasn't about to willingly relive the experience of nights alone in this place, surrounded by the scratch of each and every empty day.

He accepted this without further argument, looking around again. This time his gaze caught on the rebel pilot helmet. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands and brushing the sandy film off the visor.

Again she felt the impulse to grab the thing away from him and hide it. Somehow, having him see and handle all these things felt unbearably intimate, like allowing him access to part of herself she'd never revealed to anyone. And although there was no one she trusted more, and indeed she  _wanted_  him to see, it didn't take away the nervousness putting her very much on edge.

Sensing her tension, he handed the helmet to her. "How much is that worth?"

"Nothing." She hugged the object to her stomach, as if it could cover her, as if she could hide behind it. "The commlink is broken. I kept it because I liked it."

"You played games of pretend in it," he said, with altogether too much knowing.

She felt him browsing through her memories, and frowned. "I was a child."

Not entirely true...though she desperately hoped he wouldn't see  _that_  particular fact.

"Rey, you don't need to defend yourself. I understand." He changed his mind and gently took the helmet from her once more. Instead of examining it further, however, he placed it over her head.

She peered out at him through a cloudy visor, the whole thing wobbling a bit on top of her crown. All the cushioning inside had dried and flaked out years ago, leaving it an ill-fitting shell. As a child it had been much too big, but even as an adult it gave the same impression.

Ben smiled one of his rare, full smiles. "There she is. The pilot hero of the rebellion. Fierce enemy of the Empire."

Through the dusty orange haze, she spotted her doll still in his possession, tucked into his belt, and was grateful the visor concealed yet another flush of heat that warmed her face. Why did he have that?

He stepped in nearer, forcing her to look up if she wanted to meet his eye. The helmet made her feel suddenly very childish, and she moved to hastily take it off. Ben's hands caught hers, however, and he firmly lowered them again. He removed the helmet himself, lifting it slowly, discarding it on a pile beside them. His dark eyes were warm and deep, glittering with a hungry gleam she had come to recognize. His hands found her waist, pulling her into him. She didn't resist, reveling instead in the feel of his firm hands just above her hips.

"You missed," he murmured, voice soft and low.

She frowned. "Missed?"

"Earlier. At the research base. You missed your mark."

One of his hands came to her chin, a featherlight touch tilting her face up and holding it in place. She shivered.

"Maybe I meant to miss," she gasped, finding both her words and her breath hard to manage.

He hummed in wordless reply, glancing down at her lips before he bent and kissed her, pressing pleasure and an erratic heartbeat through her with that single act. The raw edge to her emotions sharpened all at once, and everything she'd felt throughout the day came rushing to a frantic apex. All this peeling back of her layers, bit by bit, to uncover and confront the person she'd been before BB-8 and Finn showed up had left her exposed and eager for comfort. She wanted to drown herself in him.

Her hands found his face, splayed across his jaw and neck, pulling him in closer as she returned his attention in kind.

Ben pushed her back towards a wall. He'd kissed her that way once before, on the Falcon, and it had electrified both of them. He enjoyed the feeling of her trapped beneath him, and she couldn't deny she liked it just as much. Maybe trapped was the wrong word. Pinned between his huge, strong body and the unyielding barrier of a wall, she felt shielded. Protected.

"Always," Ben promised, whispering his answer to her intoxicated, scattered thoughts.

She growled, swallowing up anything further he might have said by covering his mouth with hers. But even that didn't quite vent the pressure building in her, so she used the wall as leverage and shimmied her legs up around his waist, pushing herself higher so that for once  _he_  was craning to kiss  _her_.

His hips rolled beneath her and he broke off to pant against her skin.

"Rey," he rumbled in a low, animalistic sound. Was it a warning? Or a plea?

She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled his head back. "You're thinking too much," she complained softly. "Just be with me."

He  _was_  thinking too much. Despite the sheer instinct that drove them now. She could feel his thoughts struggling to grab hold of something, desire and doubt at war within his increasingly fevered mind.

"I need to stay on the ground," he breathed. "I need to be in control, so I can stop when you need me to."

"You will." She searched his black eyes, dilated and burning. Once, she'd feared him. Not anymore. Now she only trusted him, wholly and completely, with no caveats or reservation.

He detected this, and her trust triggered a tide of overwhelming love to rise up in him. He shuddered, returning now to their kiss with worshipful fervor. It was no small thing for him to know that she had perfect confidence in him. To Ben, it was everything.

Rey lost herself in this moment until he shifted tactics and left her lips in favor of her neck. He'd never done that before, and she wasn't quite prepared for how intense it would feel. Chills cascaded down her entire body. She gasped and tightened her fingers in his hair. He worked his way down her throat and back to her jaw, producing flashes of heat trailing behind his every touch. These turned her soft breath into something trembling and uneven, and transformed her body into jelly beneath him.

His hands slid around her, hugging her to him as he pulled away from the wall. Holding her like that, while she clung to him with wrapped arms and wrapped legs well accustomed to climbing and holding on, Ben effortlessly carried her across the little room. She could feel his own heart thrumming through his chest in a powerful, nervous cadence. He was as out of his element as she was. He too felt drawn to this crackling, dangerous energy like a live current sparking between them, and he too was afraid of it.

He laid her down on the hammock, glancing briefly up at the points he had earlier inspected. Rey followed his gaze. Her knots were practiced and strong. Plutt himself could sit on this hammock and it wouldn't go anywhere.

"It'll hold," she assured him softly.

He allowed himself to sit next to her, hip to hip, leaning over with hands on either side of her to support him as he bent and kissed her again, much more gently now. Soft and sweet and slow. Reluctantly, he pulled back, searching her gaze.

Rey caressed the edges of his face, fondly brushing his hair out of his eyes. But  _stars_ , how she loved him. How strange and how right to have him here, in this world where she had so long waited for him. In this little home where she'd ached with isolation and incompletion, missing a part of herself she didn't know how to find. She'd been wrong to think he didn't fit here. He did. In fact, it was perfectly right that he should be in this home, looking at her this way, as if she'd never be alone again. As if she were the most important person in the whole galaxy.

"You are," he whispered, turning his head to press a kiss into her palm.

She tugged him back to her, impatient to lose herself in him again.

They kissed each other like that for a long time, at last willing to let themselves sink into this without fear of interruption or pressure to hide their activities. Nobody would bother them here. They could just explore all the sensations and emotions of this thing between them at their own pace. And when Ben returned to the sensitive areas of her neck and collar, Rey surrendered to the pleasure until her heart felt like it would explode. His powerful shoulders rolled beneath her hands as she dug into them, their shared mind spinning into a dizzying oblivion.

Being so covered in touch and sensation went against her instincts and challenged her on every level, and though she loved it and loved the surge of fire he induced in her, there arrived a point when it all got to be too much. Her body felt superheated, like a star on the verge of supernova, and she imagined herself teetering over an edge she wasn't ready to fall off yet. So she pushed him back, fighting for breath, transmitting her need to stop mentally since she couldn't find her voice.

Ben shuddered and drew back, fighting his own tide of desire. He sucked air like it was the balm to his fiery nerves.

Rey wriggled out from under his torso, sitting up. The shifting weight made the hammock sway, but Ben stopped that quickly with a foot firmly on the floor. She leaned forward and kissed him just one more time.

"I need some air," she whispered.

He nodded. "Me too."

She leapt lithely to the ground, feeling more than a little light-headed as she took his hand and looked around her old familiar home that felt somehow altered. An irrational urge to laugh fizzed to life inside her, and she stifled it. In all the years she'd lived in this AT-AT, she'd never imagined that one day she'd unexpectedly find herself making out with her mortal-enemy-turned-lover here. How absurd.

The place felt all at once too intimate, and she fled it, bringing Ben with her.

Evening had well and truly fallen now, turning the sky a lavender-gray and tinging the red sands purple. Finally the unbearable heat of the day was beginning to abate. Nights could sometimes be very chilly in the desert, and Rey felt the promise of it in the cooling breezes sweeping in from the east now.

She left Ben's side, hopping lightly onto the leg of the fallen mechanized beast and following it up to the shoulder. The sights and smells of the desert soothed the blaze of her body and mind, sweeping away a heavy fog of desire.

Some time ago, Rose had ventured with Rey into a conversation about the nature of physical intimacy. Rey hadn't wanted to talk about it, hadn't really wanted to think about it, and felt the day for such things was still far off for her. She still thought that, though it didn't seem quite so far as before. If she continued this way with Ben, especially if she let him do things like that, she knew the day would come. It was inevitable. And exciting. And terrifying.

So she comforted herself by deciding it wasn't happening soon. One day, but not yet. She needed to learn how to calm down and be okay with that kind of closeness. Just being with Ben was stimulating enough. This new thing where they kissed sometimes and held each other, it was perfect, but also right at the threshold of her tolerance. Much more than that caused her to short-circuit. She had to get over that if the day for more would ever come.

Her mind tingled with a familiar presence as Ben joined her, sitting down next to her on the edge of the AT-AT's upturned side.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, glancing at him.

"For what?"

"I know it's not easy to stop."

He gave her an odd look, his brow furrowing a little. "But it's not as hard as you think, either. Don't apologize for your feelings, Rey."

"I don't want you to think that I don't…" she found herself suddenly searching for words, the topic difficult to speak of out loud. "I don't want you to be disappointed."

"I'm not." He drew in a deep, cleansing breath. "Believe it or not, I didn't want to go on either. Not yet."

"You didn't?" That surprised her. He certainly  _seemed_  like he wanted to go on. Then again…maybe not. He didn't try to do anything more than minister to her lips and throat. He didn't even let his hands wander. "I thought that men always want more."

"A misconception," he said, looking out over the desert as a slight smile quirked his full, now red lips. "Though I doubt many will admit it. You forget that this is all new for me too, and not something I ever intended for myself. I have my own psychological barriers to break down. And I want you to be comfortable at all times, so it suits me just fine to take it slow."

She didn't know what to say. This was…not what she'd expected, but given what she'd detected in him down there in the compartment, not that surprising either. He'd been as nervous as she was. It made sense now.

He continued distantly, as if considering. "Besides, what I feel for you is not tied to the physical. You know that, right? My soul is tied to yours, and everything else is secondary."

Rey leaned her shoulder into his, basking in the happy glow of affection and relief. Knowing he wasn't waiting around, frustrated at her shyness, did make her feel more confident about this new physical side of their relationship. Time would no doubt make it easier for both of them, and perhaps their bond would persuade them it was alright to cross that bridge eventually. But until then, they both understood each other and were content with what they had.

Was this really the same man who had threatened to take whatever he wanted on Starkiller Base?

"I didn't mean that," he said, voice suddenly steely. "I meant I could take whatever  _information_  I wanted."

"I know," she said, laughing a little. "I mean, at the time it sounded much more threatening than that, but you made yourself clear soon enough."

He sighed. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"I know that too." The knowledge was clearer with hindsight, but even at the time she'd felt and been bewildered by his obvious reluctance. She rested her head against his shoulder, glad that they'd come so far since then.

Ben found one of her hands and played with her fingers. His gaze wandered out to the horizon where a ridge of shadows concealed a mountain full of treasure, and an army of half-dead men waiting on his command. Rey reveled in this knowledge, and in this closeness, which was much more valuable than any Imperial fortune.

They lapsed into comfortable silence, watching the sunset cast jeweled colors across the desert. A thought drifted through Ben's mind and into Rey's. For the first time since they arrived he, and then she, thought there really was a kind of wild, savage beauty amid the endless flow of sand.


	5. The Messy Art of Change

* * *

**Ben Solo**

* * *

Ben's extended stay in pseudo-captivity with the Resistance had led to a few discoveries between himself and Rey, both personal and mystical. Not only had it painstakingly worn down their defenses towards one another and forced them to acknowledge their feelings, it had also brought about the revelation that they could  _share_  their Force strength and become one source of power. This allowed them to be stronger than either were individually. It also allowed them to hijack many minds at once, imposing their will on untested concourses of consciousness. They had managed to convince entire planets of First Order officers that they were seeing visions not truly there.

Operating successfully on that enormous scale meant they hardly broke a sweat now when melding together and infecting the minds of each and every Jakku scavenger scattered across the waste. They inserted the imperative to find all Interceptor parts possible and bring them to Niima tomorrow for barter. The scavengers did not feel this intrusion. They accepted it as merely a strong, intuitive feeling of their own.

When Ben and Rey resurfaced from this deeply intimate connection, they could only hope that their efforts would be rewarded the next day when they returned to Niima Outpost.

Rey let go of Ben's hands and smiled shyly.

Ben wanted to follow her off to where she'd set up camp in the Captain's Berth. Being in her mind like that, becoming one in thought and soul through the Force, always made him want to grab her and finish physically what was begun spiritually. But of course he didn't. Because nothing he'd said to her earlier had been a lie, and neither of them were ready. Much as the fantasy did plague him from time to time.

So he'd made himself be satisfied with a simple kiss tonight and gently but firmly pushed her away when she tried looking for more. Though she trusted him to keep his own physical urges firmly in check, Ben knew that such discipline was painful. It required him to ignore very strong feelings coursing through him, and that was its own kind of torment. He could do it, but he didn't need her soft and supple body bringing him any further temptation tonight.

Instead, he watched her retreat while he moved to the relief bunk in the main compartment. There were more suitable beds in the crew cabin, but he preferred to be in the open where he could more easily keep an eye on things. Night times had always been difficult for Ben, even before his uncle tried to murder him in his sleep. He was picky about where he lay his head, now. Tucked off in some quiet corner of the ship did not suit him.

He shed his belt, his doublet, his overshirt, stripping down to a simple tank top. Tucked into his clothes was Rey's doll, which he retrieved now and folded into his hand as he climbed onto the relief bed.

Ben settled in, staring out at the dimly-lit space where once his father had lived.

The Imperial research base still lingered in his mind, surreal and haunting. The relics of a once-glorious age, forgotten. Wealth left to fade in the dust, because those who once believed they were invincible had been wiped out. Somehow, the knowledge of that facility had not survived the rise of the First Order.

Or maybe it had, and Snoke had not seen it as anything significant to investigate. If so, he'd never bothered to let Ben in on the secret. That was…not impossible. The former Supreme Leader had manipulated him with copious amounts of rage and resentment, a tempting promise of dynastic legacy, and a dash of just enough information. If he thought the research base and all its resources had been destroyed, he'd have had no reason to send his wardog to it, or even mention it.

Still. Ben couldn't get the unsettling realization out of his head. The might of the Empire, buried in the earth, forgotten and wasted.

Well, no more.

He wasn't entirely certain he could claim true altruism as his motivation for rebuilding the broken pieces of the galaxy, because there was a strong selfish drive to rid himself of his personal guilt, as well as to seek a cleansing fresh start. A way to shed the past, both the light side and the dark, and become something new and whole again.

Restitution felt like the right step in that direction. So it was as much for him as it was for them, but he supposed that was good enough. No one was asking him to embrace true selflessness. No one was trying to make him into a Jedi Knight of false legend. And Rey, seeing the truth of his intent, didn't seem to take issue with it.

He let his thoughts drift to Poe and the new government, to Ben's promise to work  _with_  the pilot rather than against him. He didn't want to tell Poe about this yet, though. First he would organize. He'd call together his architects and master strategists and convince them that this was part of some greater plot. He would have to dance carefully around the issue, presenting it from a place of control and domination rather than assistance and apology. Once they had a plan in place, perhaps then he'd let his counterpart in the new government know something of his intentions. Certainly he'd have to, before making any significant movements with his armada.

Ben was rarely more relaxed than when his mind had something to work on, so he let these mental machinations lull him into a reluctant doze. Once, he woke when Rey's doll began to slip from his softening grasp, and he tucked it into the crook of his arm instead, using his groggy mental faculties to check on her through the constantly humming psychic bond linking them. She was still awake, somewhere between relaxed and tossed in a sea of conflicting emotions about the whole day. He wondered if he should go to her. Comfort her. She wasn't good at being alone when she was all a jumble like that. But she wasn't far from sleep, and he himself had surrendered too much of his faculties to really act on his drowsy thoughts. So he let himself drift away again.

* * *

In the morning, he found Rey back in her AT-AT home. She had woken sometime before him, which was unusual. The sun hadn't fully crested over the eastern horizon yet, and the metal cavern contained a pocket of air several degrees colder than the chilly desert dawn. Rey was scratching an 'x' at the end of the last line of slashes. Ben didn't interrupt. He glanced around again at the dingy little space and once more marveled that she had managed to cobble together something so homey and pleasant out of something built for domination and destruction.

She really had a talent for it, didn't she?

When Rey had finished, she stood and turned to Ben.

"Good morning."

"Putting the final touches on your decor?"

She smiled a little. "Something like that. I'm laying to rest the memories here."

Ben nodded. He knew it wouldn't be so simple, but symbolic gestures did have healing power. Or destructive power. In Rey's case it was likely to be the former. He watched as she moved around the little space, setting things right, replacing items he had moved yesterday in his exploration. She thumbed through a few of the various ship and vehicle manuals she'd found throughout the years, the ones which had given her a working knowledge of most every kind of vessel there was. Not that she needed them now. Ben knew the information was stored in her head as securely as the archives of the Empire were stored in his own. Neither of them was inclined to forget.

"Will you help me close it up again?" she asked, turning and scooping up an armful of parts and tools.

Her eyes, grey-brown sometimes tinged with olive, had adopted a dark, silvery cast in the dim space. Yesterday, the change had struck Ben as rather childlike and vulnerable. Today, he found them both alluring and seductive, like deep, complex wells housing a lifetime of memories which would not be easily left behind her when they shut that hatch. The effect was striking.

"Ben?" she prompted.

He let his gaze break from that magnetic stare, falling to her lips instead. "Yes, I can do that."

She rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself, and led them back out into the desert morning. Once outside, she set down her objects and turned to pull the heavy door shut behind her.

"You don't intend to come back," Ben assessed after he'd forced the rusted lever back into place.

"I don't need to," Rey said with a little shrug. "I've made my peace. And made a pretty great new memory to bid goodbye."

The gleam in her eye made him smirk a little. He held out his hand, which she took, and together they walked back into the Falcon. He didn't believe they'd never come back, but if she needed to see this as her final farewell to her home, he wouldn't contradict her. The discovery of the Imperial base had created a reason to return to Jakku in the future, when they needed to collect the rest of the resources. But Ben didn't make that commentary right now.

"You're shivering," he offered instead.

The flimsy tank she'd worn to bed was not at all adequate for the frigid air of the AT-AT's interior. Nor was Ben's, for that matter, but he wasn't the one suffering from cold right now.

"I wanted to do some training," she explained, rubbing her free hand along her arm. "I'll warm up once I get going."

"Out here? Now?"

She laughed. "Well, I wasn't going to do it in the Falcon where I might break things. And yes, now. We don't need to head to Niima until later when the scavengers start bringing their haul."

"That's…true," Ben said slowly, frowning. He glanced at the empty landscape dubiously. He hadn't trained anywhere so remote since his earliest years with Luke, before they'd found and established a proper training temple. Since then, his practice sessions had involved complex systems of holo enemies, randomized projectiles, and well-trained sparring partners.

Rey laughed again, and the sound of it disrupted his skeptical chain of thought.

"You don't have to do it," she teased. "I was going to do it myself, anyway."

"I need to send some messages to the remaining generals." The ones who needed a firm reminder that they were obligated to comply with the rendezvous order. "But perhaps I'll join you after."

She accepted this, following him up the ramp and into the Falcon.

Once inside, she quickly retrieved her lightsaber and vanished again. Ben, meanwhile, moved over to the ship's main computer and began scanning for the comms channel he wanted.

It didn't take long, and soon he was transmitting his message, adopting a dark, cold tone as he warned each and every general, commander, and captain who had not yet acknowledged the rendezvous order that traitors would be hunted down and skewered through, after the manner of Armitage Hux, the mutineer. Of course that wasn't exactly how Hux had died, but Ben decided the truth would not serve his purposes as effectively as this. He again charged them with gathering at a specific coordinate in the Unknown Regions to regroup, and promised that the First Order was not finished.

By the time he completed his task, he was brimming with restless energy stoked to life by the mantle of leadership. Training actually sounded pretty good. So he retrieved his lightsaber and went back outside to find his other half.

It wasn't difficult. Two bright beams of blue-white light whirled and hummed through the dawn atop a small dune set a little ways behind the AT-AT. Rey herself was more shadow than flesh and blood as she conducted her deadly dance, lunging and pivoting and testing her movements with such precise abandon that Ben thought it looked rather freeing.

He watched her for a moment, too enthralled to disturb her right away. She gripped the long center piece between her twin saber beams the way she gripped her quarterstaff, except when she let go with one hand to use her forearm as a fulcrum for a more powerful arc. Ben had wondered, in the times they had trained with her new weapon, how she did not accidentally brush one of the beams against herself, especially when she had it behind her back like that. Two blades seemed like a lot to keep track of. But then, he didn't need to wonder. He knew how the crystals would attune to the Force of the wielder and together weapon and warrior would become one. He felt that with his own weapon.

Buzzing with excitement now, he headed up the dune towards her. She was too involved in her whipping and slashing and leaping to notice, so when he clicked his spewing broadsword saber to life and stopped one of her downward thrusts with his own, she looked thoroughly startled.

It only lasted a moment, though. A grin broke the surprise and a wicked gleam flashed over her countenance. She spun and struck at him. He parried. Ben swung down hard towards her, but she met him in a hissing clash of purple.

They'd only ever fought one another twice — once when they truly meant to kill one another — and once more when their joint training had finally required the use of their real weapons. The first time had lit fires inside them, of hate in her, of fascination in him. The second time, those fires had been stoked into raging blazes of desire.

Ben didn't know where they could go from there, or what this third fight might bring, but he knew it was satisfying on a soul-deep level. Sparring with her required precision and focus, so as not to hurt her or be hurt by her. They didn't truly unleash on each other, but committed with enough rigor to require careful maneuvering.

Soon both were drenched in sweat and clamoring for breath. Ben watched her chest heaving, himself burning alive with heat that was both from exertion and attraction. But still she came at him, and still he was forced to fend her off, until all at once she shut off her lightsaber and launched herself at him. For one perilous instant, he moved as if to block her with his weapon, but realized she was unarmed just in time and shut it off before it could slice through her.

She landed on him with a thump and he reeled, trying to stay upright in the shifting sands beneath his feet. It was no good, and he went down. He had hardly registered this new prone position when her lips met his, hungry and fevered, searching for another outlet to her own boiling desires. Too surprised to do much else, he let his body respond automatically until his brain could catch up to this unexpected situation.

The sand wasn't exactly comfortable, but Ben didn't care. Rey had him pinned and was doing what she wanted, which right now was a thorough investigation of all his mouth had to offer. A rumble of pleasure thundered through his chest. He wanted to touch her, but he didn't know where, so he let her take the lead.

"You're hot as hell, Ben Solo," she growled into his ear as she began to nibble on it.

Ben laughed. "I'm not sure where to start with that. That we're on the planetary equivalent of hell, that this body heat is your fault —"

"Shh," she said, kissing him again to stop the tumble of words. "You talk a lot, you know that?"

Instead of saying anything further, he let his hands move up her legs on either side of him, tracing them to her waist. She shuddered, humming her approval into his mouth.

Ben had kissed before. It was long ago, before Snoke and all that came after. And it had been exciting, in that childish way, to share a sweet, chaste kiss with the padawan girl he'd had a shy crush on. But it was nothing like what possessed him now. Nothing like the instant reaction that had been born the first time he'd kissed Rey. This was deep and ardent and galaxy-altering. It made the Force around them swirl like river rapids. Not that either of them was particularly paying attention to the movements of the Force, though Ben did note the shift dimly in his peripheral perception. Most of his mind was occupied with Rey, and how  _good_  it felt.

Finally she sat up, gasping for air and laughing. "You're covered in sand."

"Mm." He could feel it sticking to every part of his sweaty body. "Again, that's your fault."

"Guilty." She brushed a finger over his lips. "I guess I just got a little worked up."

"You're not the only one." Ben reached up to play with some of her hair that had come loose in the rigorous training. As unpleasant as it was to be half-buried in cool, coarse grit, he rather liked this situation. He felt quite content as her prisoner.

But that couldn't last, apparently. She looked up and squinted. Ben's mind traveled along with hers as she calculated the speed of a lumbering four-legged creature carrying a rider across the desert in the distance.

"Do we have company?" He propped himself up on his elbows to take a look.

She shook her head. "It's a Teedo. He doesn't know we're here, and he isn't headed this way. But he's dragging something behind that luggabeast. Is it too naive to hope it's Interceptor parts?"

Ben glanced at her with a raised brow. "We didn't target Teedos last night. How would they know?"

She shrugged. "Teedos always know."

Their gazes lingered on one another in a moment of indecisive silence. Both were tempted to extend this pleasurable engagement for a little while longer, but they also sensed they'd arrived at the natural end of it and needed to get on with their day.

Finally Rey climbed off him and extended her hand. Ben missed the weight of her against him as soon as it was gone. Pushing this thought aside, he let her help him up. They summoned their discarded lightsabers and headed back to the Falcon.

Ben used the refresher first, ridding himself of the irritating sand and his stoked desires under a barrage of cool water. When he was dry, dressed, and his hair had been set right again, he emerged and focused on getting the food out while Rey took her turn cleaning up. He tried not to think about her, but Ben knew he was about as lovesick as they come, and all the discipline in the world couldn't stop his mind from running over every aspect of her lithe, athletic body in the memory of her tackling him.

He sighed. It was easier when they had things to do to keep him busy.

When she returned to the main compartment, she settled down next to him to eat. In doing so, she produced one of the Nova crystals and fiddled with it throughout their meal, observing the way its little rainbows shimmered in the air around it.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Ben asked her when she paused her systematic devouring. She always ate like that. He wondered if she'd ever get to the point when she could be calm and methodical about food.

"Yeah, I think so." She glanced at him. "And when it does? Do we go back and fix up your ship, first? Or has our discovery made it more important to get back to the First Order directly?"

Ben didn't have a ready answer for her. He  _did_  feel more pressure to hurry to the rendezvous sooner than he planned, but that was only the impatience to get started. Besides, he wasn't sure showing up in the infamous  _Millennium Falcon_  would do great things for his reputation. The  _Silencer_  would be a more appropriate ship for the Supreme Leader to use. But then, Rey couldn't come with him. It had room for one. Perhaps they'd need another ship to get them there, and then the  _Silencer_  could be his personal craft.

So many puzzles.

"Ask me again at the end of the day," he decided.

After finishing their meal, they decided to go to Niima and intercept whatever scavengers might start trickling in throughout the day.

Ben took a seat in the co-pilot's chair, giving command over to Rey once more. He did not respond to her questioning glance as she slid into the captain's seat. Chewie had given the ship to her, and Ben felt reasonably certain his father would prefer it this way. Even in their better days, Han had been guarded about how far into his world he allowed Ben to venture. Rey was like Han, though. A rough-and-tumble orphan forged in the fires of an unforgiving society, used to doing whatever it takes to survive. He would have let Rey into any and every part of his dishonest life, and he would have wanted her to take his place after him.

Ben was alright with it. Slowly, slowly, he was finding peace with his father's memory.

Rey glided away from her home, taking them towards Niima Outpost.

* * *

The moment the Falcon touched down, masked thugs with clubs and crude weapons surrounded it. Rey informed Ben that these were Plutt's creatures, no doubt come to apprehend them.

"Is there no law enforcement in this place?" Ben asked with mild disdain. "Or does the Crolute run that too?"

"Constable Zuvio isn't so bad," said Rey. "But yeah, in the end he does kind of answer to Unkar. Everyone here does."

"Well," he sighed. "That changes today."

They descended the ramp and together emitted twin blasts of invisible energy, sending all the thugs flying backwards and tumbling into the sand.

Ben smirked. He quite enjoyed having a partner in the Force.

Unmolested now, they closed up the Falcon and headed to Plutt's concession stand. He noticed activity in the bazaar shifting around them, changing from how he'd perceived it yesterday. No one had paid attention to them before, but now everyone stopped to watch as they passed. Gossip began in whispered waves, undulating in their wake. Creatures in all their variety began to drift after the pair, aware now that they had mystical powers and eager to see how that would unfold for Plutt.

Rey had changed too. Yesterday she was jumpy and distractible, caught up in memories and nostalgia and feelings of inadequacy. Today she was determined and full of purpose. Ben saw that familiar glint of steel in her gaze. She was ready to leave her permanent mark on this place, to match the permanent mark this place had left in her.

Ben swept forward beside her, ignoring everyone with a kind of external austerity that made them all squirm with inferiority. He knew how to intimidate underlings without uttering a word or meeting their eye, and he enjoyed it.

Plutt's thugs had recovered and now ran ahead of them, weaving through the complex of tents and vendors with the practice of shadows. No doubt they were hurrying to warn their master of what was coming. Rey didn't worry about this, so Ben didn't worry about this. When they arrived at the concession stand, the Crolute was waiting.

"You're back," he snarled from behind the safety of his cargo crawler's window grate.

Ben had dealt with this species before, but he'd never found any of them as decidedly revolting as Unkar Plutt. Everything about him was repulsive. He loathed that Rey had been more or less raised under this puss-filled pimple's callous eye.

"I am back," said Rey. "And I'm here to do business."

"Good girl," Plutt crooned, smiling that nauseating smile.

Rey returned one of her own, though there was ice in it. "But not with you."

That big saggy face screwed up in displeasure. "Are we going to have a problem here?"

"That's up to you."

Ben turned his back to the Crolute and kept an eye on the thugs. With the masks, it was impossible to discern their intentions through facial expressions. Fortunately Ben was well practiced at dealing with faceless troops, and he knew to monitor their moods. Right now, they regarded the pair warily. Each was hoping Plutt would not order them into a fight against wielders of mysterious voodoo magic.

"We're going purchase directly from the source today, Unkar," Rey was explaining calmly. "And you're not only going to allow it, you're not going to punish those who sell to us after we've gone."

Plutt sneered while his pinkish skin turned several shades darker. "And why would I do that, girl?"

"Because we'll be back, and we promise to do to you anything you do to them. We keep our promises, Unkar."

A hideous, hacking, garbled laugh erupted from that gelatinous body. "You've got some serious Knockback in those veins of yours, haven't you? Got yourself a guard dog and now you think you makes the rules around here?"

Ben heard one of Rey's lightsaber blades ignite, and he turned to see if she was about to put it through the huge body of the Crolute. That would have been satisfying, and Ben wouldn't have stopped her. But she didn't do that. Instead she dragged it along the edges of the cage around his window. The protective barrier between himself and his enemies fell away with a clatter, its connection points melted and glowing.

"I don't need or have a guard dog," Rey told him, leaning forward and tipping her blade into his personal space. "I can handle you all by myself."

The thugs had all fallen back a step at the sight of the weapon. Ben decided to ignite his own, moving towards them and sweeping the red blade in an arc before him.

They scattered back with squeals and grunts of terror. Ben reveled in it. Frightening them felt so good.

With Plutt cowed into sudden silence and the thugs thoroughly subdued, all they had left to do was wait. So wait they did.

Rey turned and stood with her back to Plutt, extinguishing her lightsaber and watching for scavengers. Meanwhile Ben prowled around the edges of the area, deterring any Plutt loyalists from acting. The spectators from the bazaar had gathered around, but they hung back, afraid of Ben's patrolling and the crackling blade he wielded.

"So, you think you're an Anchorite now?" Plutt asked acidly after a half hour of silence.

Rey glanced back at him. "I am what the Anchorites aspire to. What they worship — and fear."

No further words were exchanged, but Ben felt that the tension had ratcheted another notch.

One by one, the scavengers began arriving. Ben shut down his blade so as not to scare them away, but watched for thugs who might decide to intercept them on their way in. Fortunately no one showed such initiative. Plutt had hired muscles, but clearly not brains.

The scavengers came with mechanical haul which Ben himself could not recognize, but the ripple of satisfaction flowing from Rey told him these were the right bits.

She strode forward when they looked around uncertainly.

"I'll be the one buying your wares today," she announced. "The Blobfish is taking the day off."

Plutt turned a mottled shade of purple now, radiating with waves of pure hatred. Ben watched him struggle to contain his silence, but his gaze kept flicking to the lightsaber on Rey's belt.

The scavengers glanced at one another and then at her. They were nervous. This turn of events had caught them off guard, and Ben could feel their wariness as they shifted their attention from Rey to Plutt, then back to Rey.

"You're…that girl…" one of them said slowly.

"Yes, you know me." She stepped towards the one who spoke. "Strunk. It's me. Rey."

He didn't look convinced, but didn't shrink back.

She motioned to his loot. "Show me what you have?"

The Abednedo moved aside and let her pick through the pieces. She examined them for quality and cleanliness, discarding the ones that didn't meet her standard.

"I'll take all of these," she said, waving at the good ones, "in exchange for this."

An audible gasp ran through the throng of spectators, scavengers, and Blobfish as she produced one of the Nova crystals. In full sunlight, it dazzled like a shard of star.

"And those," she motioned to the less desirable parts, "in exchange for three portions."

The Abednedo's two tiny eyes widened to impossible size and he gaped.

"Strunk," she prompted, holding her hand out with the tiny illuminated stone. "Take it. This will be enough to buy your way to any part of the galaxy you want to go."

He took it, slowly and reverently, glancing at her again with a flash of distrust and fear.

"No one will take it from you," Ben assured him from the other side of the clearing. "It is yours."

"And there is more for anyone who has Interceptor parts to sell," Rey said a little more loudly.

Suddenly all the scavengers pressed forward at once, fighting for their turn to be next. Strunk clutched his crystal and his portions to his chest and backed away, still looking utterly dumbstruck.

Ben let Rey handle the purchase of items. He kept his attention trained on the others. Plutt, in particular, began to emanate greed as he watched the subsequent transactions take place and more and more pieces of light disappeared into the hands of his slaves. He lifted his commlink to issue orders to his thugs, but Ben anticipated him. Throwing out his hand, he summoned the commlink right out of Unkar's grasp.

The Crolute looked at him in outrage. Ben tucked the instrument into his pocket and returned with a shrewd glare.

_I see you_ , he thought at the gelatinous creature.  _I know your type._

For the rest of the day, Plutt was forced to watch as word spread and more and more came to sell what he would not. Towards the evening, the majority arrived, and all left with varying degrees of astonishment, glee, and disbelief. Rey's pile of parts had grown quite large, and Plutt's despair had risen to a fevered pitch.

"I'll sell you the parts, girl!" he finally cried out, unable to contain himself any longer. "These are garbage compared to what I have. You can have my whole supply in exchange for the rest of your crystals."

"No deal," Rey called back without looking at him. "Conditions have changed. I have everything I need here."

"I'll kill you," he seethed, desperation turning to rage now. "I'll kill you and everyone who sold to you."

He disappeared from his cargo crawler and a moment later emerged in the clearing, clutching a blaster.

"No one cheats me," he snarled.

The Force swirled around Ben in a powerful cyclone, charged with his deadly vengeance, and lashed at the Crolute with winds of fury. Ben yanked him to the ground hard and crushed the blaster, striding towards him, igniting his saber.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he became aware of the crowd gasping and drawing back, and of Rey turning to watch without any intention of stopping him. But these were only cursory observations. His focus remained entirely on the writhing mass of Crolute flesh in the sand as Plutt tried to roll to his feet but was held in place by the great press of the Force.

Ben swept his lightsaber down and pointed it directly at Plutt's chest.

He froze. His tiny eyes flicked up in fear and horror and hate.

"You will address her with respect," he said mildly. The smooth, calm delivery contradicted the fatal potential of this moment, as he knew it would. It cast an unnerved shiver through the onlookers, and through his enemy on the ground.

"You will call her by her name," he continued. "And you will leave each and every scavenger alone. Do you understand?"

Plutt didn't move.

Ben traced a line down the Blobfish's chest with the blade, searing a burn track into his flesh. Plutt roared and lashed his head back and forth.

For all the ways he'd changed and turned from darkness, for all the good he intended to do now, Ben had to admit, this felt good. It satisfied the darkness in him. It scratched an itch nothing else quite could. He enjoyed watching his enemies writhe in agony and look at him in awful terror.

He savored Plutt's pain and fear and returned his lightsaber to just directly hovering above him. "I asked if you understood."

"I understand," Plutt growled.

"And her name?" Ben said lightly.

"She doesn't have one. It's just 'girl.'"

Ben transferred the point of the blade to the Crolute's mechanical arm and cleanly sliced through it, severing it at the shoulder. "Looks like you'll need a new one of those. I don't imagine they're cheap. Care to try again before I remove the flesh one as well?"

Plutt howled in rage.

Ben backed up. "On your knees."

Slowly his enemy wobbled and rolled and heaved himself into a kneel. It couldn't have been at all comfortable, all that weight supported on his two tiny knees. Still, he knelt. Ben motioned Rey forward.

She came, standing before Plutt, staring down at him with a look Ben recognized. She'd given it to him once, except for him her regret and resignation had been tinged with compassion. For Plutt, she had only coldness.

Ben held his lightsaber behind that bulbous head. "What is her name?"

Plutt sneered, but dared not deliver another protest.

Ben stepped forward and held the tip of the lightsaber just close enough that the back of Unkar's head began to smoke and char.

"Agh! Rey! It's Rey!" he squealed, leaning forward, away from the heat.

"I didn't hear that," Ben insisted.

"Her name is Rey." Plutt looked around at the spectators. They were watching with horror, and growing disdain.

Ben motioned for his counterpart. She, already in his mind and already aware of his plan, moved away from her oppressor and joined Ben. She ignited her lightsaber.

With Ben on one side, and Rey on another, they dragged their weapons slowly through the side of cargo crawler, pulling molten metal down in two parallel lines, turning what was once a window into a gaping doorway. The concession stand yawned open, revealing its valuable contents, its supply of portions, yielding up its symbolic power.

The onlookers and scavengers murmured and shifted, glancing at one another, astonished and restless.

Rey turned around to face them. "I know what this means to you. Some of you are afraid of what will happen from here. Some of you will use what we've given you to leave. It is a good choice. But those of you who choose to stay, I challenge you to resist anyone who tries to establish his authority over you. Be your own agents, your own brokers, your own dealers. Sell to the offworlders. Take charge of your own destinies. Don't let him—"

Ben pointed at Plutt for her with his broadsword.

"—or anyone," she continued, "be your master again."

They moved aside and let a flow of scavengers sweep in after them, entering the cargo crawler.

Rey, deciding she was finished with this place, began to gather all their newly acquired parts into a net given to her by Strunk, who had come back with others.

Ben turned to Plutt. He extinguished his blade. "You're done."

Plutt stared at the sand, unmoving, unspeaking. Resentment boiled in him, but it was tempered by defeat.

"Remember what she told you. Whatever you to do them, we do to you."

Not that it mattered much anymore. Plutt's power had been stripped away from him. Seeing him so controlled had made the denizens of Niima give up their fearful respect of him. They knew it, Ben knew it, and most importantly, Unkar Plutt knew it.

Seeing that their work here was done, Ben left the ruined creature to his humiliation and joined Rey. He didn't know why she was bothering to do it all by hand, and simply lifted the pile with a mild flex of the Force.

"Right," she said with a small, tired laugh.

The net full, Ben lifted it again and glanced at her. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." She looked at the swarm of activity now buzzing through the clearing as scavengers, tinkerers, handlers, and the rest picked the cargo crawler clean. "I hope we did the right thing here."

"Doesn't it feel like the right thing?" Ben knew his moral compass had a tendency to swing around a bit, depending on where he deemed right. But this felt right to him. It felt like the necessary surgery before proper healing could begin.

Rey nodded. "It does. I just wonder if they'll use what we gave them the right way."

"We'll be back," Ben assured her. "We'll provide aggressive redirection if we need to."

This coaxed a laugh out of her, and she relaxed. "You're right. Let's go."

As they headed away from the clearing and back towards the Falcon, Rey glanced behind her once. Ben knew Plutt was still watching her go, and he knew Rey swirled with conflicting emotions at all that had transpired. She feared how much Ben had enjoyed his little power play, she appreciated what he had done for her, she reveled in satisfaction that her oppressor had finally,  _finally_  acknowledged her identity, and she regretted that the creature who had kept her alive for so many years had been so corrupt as to require such a harsh lesson.

Ben would have liked to comfort her, but he didn't quite know how. So instead he Force-carried their new belongings and said nothing, imbuing her with his reassurance that he was still with her, that he understood.

When they lifted off and skimmed away from a now radically changed Niima, they faced a galaxy of possibility.

"Are you alright?" Ben asked as blue atmosphere gave way to the infinite expanse of space.

She exhaled a long, slow breath. "I think so. Thank you. For…for fighting for me."

To this, he said nothing. He didn't need to. She knew he'd do it again.

Rey turned to him, gaze falling to his lips, a little smile tipping her own. Her soul stirred with love, and his answered.

"So," she said. "Where are we going?"


End file.
